World

WhatsApp Service in S. Africa Goes Global in WHO Virus Fight

World Health Organization steps up social media communication
Service employs artificial intelligence to answer queries

The WhatsApp application on an iPhone.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Antony Sguazzin

March 25, 2020 at 12:58 PM UTC

Updated on

March 25, 2020 at 9:06 PM UTC

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The World Health Organization plans to reach at least 50 million people with a WhatsApp information service that delivers information on demand about the coronavirus and is so successful in South Africa it will be used around the world.