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WHO launches Facebook Messenger chatbot to answer questions about COVID-19
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A 3D-printed Facebook logo is seen placed on a keyboard in this illustration taken on March 25, 2020. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)
T
he World Health Organization has announced the launch of a chatbot on Facebook Messenger that can answer user questions about Covid-19 anytime they have one.
A few weeks after the World Health Organization launched a chatbot on WhatsApp dedicated to answering questions about Covid-19 — which has already reached over 12 million people — to reduce the spread of misinformation regarding the virus, the organization launched a similar tool on Facebook Messenger on Tuesday.
This “Health Alert” interactive service was made with support from Sprinklr, a software company working on creating tools to manage customer experiences on social media platforms, and is free to use. It can be accessed on the WHO’s official Facebook profile; users just need to tap the “Send Message” button at the top of the page.
Read also: Facebook aims its Messenger at coronavirus battle
With this tool, the WHO joins organisations like UNICEF, Argentina’s Ministry of Health, the Government of France and more health groups that have already launched Messenger-based experiences.
According to the organization, offering tools as such to the public “critical as widespread misinformation can create unnecessary fear and panic in this already trying time”.
