Fear and Panic of COVID-19

Abstract

media war in which “fear” is highlighted rather than discussions about the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Despite all the current data, little is known about the real figures of COVID-19, and ignorance breeds fear all over the world, particularly in Iran. While media images are rapidly circulating and COVID-19 has become propaganda in many regions due to coronavirus rumors, one fear is in the public mind about mortality rates reported elsewhere.1,2 In the face of emergencies, a more interdisciplinary and cross-sectorial approach is of great importance for curtailing COVID-19 outbreak, which would, in turn, lead to a minimization of the damage. Transparency in reports and actions is also very important.3 The concept of health communication is of great importance. Now, in addition to trying to send scientific exchanges by traditional venues (e.g., journals and conferences), it must be explained to the public what really happened or is happening in public language (jargon and insider language) instead of scientific terminology, providing opportunities for engaging public audiences without customization. In other words, it is important to get a real perspective of the disease, such as initial estimates of epidemiological parameters, risk of acquiring infection, human-to-human transmission, and epidemic forecasts by considering what the public is hearing and practicing health communication. To a non-specialist, most specific terms in scientific language are not clear. Therefore, mass media can be targeted by representatives using a science communication approach and problem-based learning sessions, where a synergistic collaboration of multiple disciplines can be considered under the terms of One Health by human and animal health agencies, national organizations’ downstream sectors, and scientific societies to underpin public health awareness based on reliable information. Efforts at communicating information about infectious diseases should consider media outreach and community meetings. Moreover, an increased shift in special media sources in many parts of the world, including Internet use (e.g., websites), social media (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.), and Internet contacts can be of great importance for community engagement strategies based on infectious disease communication; other sources of health information, such as text alerts, artistic brochure design, and apps, are also easy strategies in this regard. Of course, the credibility of a source http://ijtmgh.com Int J Travel Med Glob Health. 2020 Aug;8(3):91-92 doi 10.34172/ijtmgh.2020.15 TMGH IInternational Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health J