As more measles outbreaks are reported in the U.S., a partnership in Iowa is starting a vaccination awareness campaign to connect refugee and immigrant communities with doctors.
Refugee and Immigrant Voices in Action, or RIVA, is working with small businesses and local healthcare providers to prevent misinformation about measles.
RIVA’s Christina Fernandez-Morrow says they learned how to navigate public health communications during the COVID pandemic.
Fernandez-Morrow says, “Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that our communities have a trusted relationship with healthcare providers.”
In addition, she says providers are re-learning how to spot symptoms, and she notes it’s important to tell people what to look out for to counter any medical bias that may be looming.
“What do measles look like, especially on different types of skin?” she says, “So if you’ve got darker skin, if you’ve been out in the sun, working in a field, or if you have been inside all winter, it might look a little different on you.”
RIVA is also coordinating with translators who will reach out to Iowa communities where English is not the dominant language in a broader push to create healthy habits.
(By Lucia Cheng, Iowa Public Radio)