Role of Croatian media one of reasons why fight against coronavirus is successful, says head of hospital for infectious diseases

Zagreb (Photo: HINA/ Edvard ŠUŠAK)

ZAGREB, April 3 (Hina) – The head of Zagreb’s Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Alemka Markotic, has said that Croatian media have been informing the public about the coronavirus epidemic professionally, which is an important reason why the fight against the disease has been successful.

“Journalists are doing a very important thing and I really congratulate you all on professionalism. The role of the media is definitely one of the reasons why we have been so successful because you have been providing citizens with positive information in a very professional and clear way,” she said in an interview with RTL on Friday.

Markotic also thanked citizens, noting that most acted responsibly in the current situation. The fact that the current situation with the coronavirus is satisfactory has been confirmed not only by domestic but also by international analysts, she said.

Markotic believes that regions where new cases of the infection are being reported, notably Dalmatia, will also be able to organise well in curbing the spread of the disease.

She expressed satisfaction that Croatia was second in the world, after Japan, in terms of the coronavirus death rate.

One of the reasons why efforts to curb the spread of the disease have been successful is the fact that infected persons’ contacts were discovered quickly, she said.

“If we are in Japan’s company, then we have perfect citizens,” she said, adding that as far as she knew, only two or three infected persons did not know how they had contracted the disease.