Amharic Archives - EthnoMed

This instructional video provides step-by-step guidance for burn wound care using greasy gauze (Vaseline gauze) and standard gauze dressings. Designed for patients and caregivers, the video reinforces clinical instructions to be able to treat small burns at home, or to continue treatment for larger burns after seeing a healthcare provider.

In this video, you will learn:

Greasy gauze is a common type of bandage used to help protect and heal burns
How to safely remove an old burn bandage
How to clean burns and apply new bandages
Signs and symptoms of infection to watch for
How to reduce the risk of infection in burns
How to apply and wrap bandages for burns on the arm, hand, torso, and leg
When to seek additional help in caring for burns

This educational resource is intended to supplement the instructions provided by your medical care team. Always follow the guidance of your burn care provider. Printable PDF with QR Code with links to each video.

Scroll down to view: English, Amharic, Arabic, French, Lingala , Spanish, Russian, and Vietnamese

English language: ‘A Step by Step Guide to Burn Care Using Greasy Gauze – supplies list and how to wrap burns’

Amharic Language: በቅባት የራሰ ፋሻን በመጠቀም የቃጠሎ እንክብካቤ የደረጃ በደረጃ መመሪያ – የአቅርቦቶች ዝርዝር እና የቃጠሎ ቁስሎችን እንዴት መጠቅለል እንደሚቻል

Arabic Language: دليل العناية بالحروق خطوة بخطوة باستخدام الشاش الدهني – قائمة اللوازم وكيفية لف الحروق

French Language: ‘Guide pratique : soins des brûlures avec ccompresse de gaze grasse et vaseline‘

Lingala Language: Lisungi : Kosalisa mpota ya kozika na moto na ba pansement ya compresse mpe na mafuta ya vaseline

Spanish Language: ‘Guía paso a paso para el cuidado de quemaduras con “Greasy Gauze”: materiales y cómo vendarlas‘

Russian Language: Уход за ожогом: повязка с мазью, материалы и как наложить повязку

Vietnamese Language: Hướng dẫn từng bước cách chăm sóc vết bỏng bằng gạc tẩm mỡ – vật dụng và cách băng

To improve accessibility and health equity, these burn care videos are being translated into multiple languages. Additional language versions will be added as they become available.

We encourage you to share these resources with your communities to support safe, informed burn recovery at home.

Suggested use for providers:

Share videos during patient appointments and community health events
Include video links in discharge paperwork
Promote at global outreach efforts

Burn care can be complex, involving multiple steps that may feel overwhelming for patients and caregivers. This challenge is even greater for individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP), who may face additional barriers in understanding and following detailed wound care protocols. As patients transition from hospital care to at-home recovery, it is essential that they clearly understand and follow proper burn wound care instructions to achieve the best possible outcomes. To address this need, EthnoMed partnered with Harborview’s Burns, Plastics, and Pediatric Acute Care Unit to develop accessible, visual education tools to support safe and effective burn care at home.

A burn is an injury to the skin caused by something hot, like fire, hot water, steam, or even touching something like a hot pan. Burns can also be caused by cold, electricity, chemicals, or the sun. No matter what causes the burn, the skin needs the right care to heal well and stay healthy.

4 youtube thumnails of providers who are explaining the BCG vaccine

BCG Vaccine Information and Videos

Tuberculosis (TB) is a serious bacterial infection that affects the lungs and can spread to others if left untreated. In many countries, the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is given to children to protect them from the worst kinds of TB. However, protection wanes over time and people who received the BCG vaccine as children can still get TB later in life. It is important to use the TB blood test instead of the skin test since the skin test can react to the BCG vaccine. (or you can say: It is important to use the TB blood test instead of the skin test since it more accurate).content and videos here.

To ensure that non-English-speaking community members receive accurate information about TB, we have created multilingual public service announcements (PSAs). These short videos provide essential details about the BCG vaccine in multiple languages. Health care providers and community organizations are encouraged to share these PSAs with individuals who may be at risk.

In these health education videos, you’ll learn:

The purpose of the BCG vaccine and who gets it
The importance of getting a TB blood test regardless of getting the BCG vaccine
The difference between the BCG vaccine and other vaccines

ENGLISH – BCG Vaccine Explained

AMHARIC – BCG Vaccine Explained

ARABIC BCG Vaccine Explained

UKRAINIAN BCG Vaccine Explained

Winter – Cold Weather and Power Outage Safety

Winter brings cold temperatures, snow, freezing rain, and high winds. When rain freezes, ice weighs down trees and power lines, this can lead to power outages (see below for multi-language fact sheets).

During a winter storm

Washington Department of Health tips:

Wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Wear mittens rather than gloves. Wear a warm, woolen cap.
Do not drive unnecessarily.
Reduce the temperature in your home to conserve fuel.
Heat only the areas of your home you are using. Close doors and curtains or cover windows and doors with blankets.
Use alternative heat methods safely. Never use a gas or charcoal grill, hibachi or portable propane heater to cook indoors or heat your home.
Never use a generator indoors or in a garage or carport.
Be careful when shoveling snow. Do not overexert yourself.
Be sure to eat regularly. Food provides calories that maintain body heat.
Watch for signs of frostbite and hypothermia — slurred speech, disorientation, uncontrollable shivering, stumbling, drowsiness and body temperature of 95 degrees Fahrenheit or less.
If you become trapped outside, get out of the wind and stay dry. Build a lean-to or snow cave if nothing else is available. Do not eat snow; it will make you too cold.

If in your vehicle

Make sure someone knows where you are going. Stay on the main roads.
If you must stop, remain inside the vehicle. Use a bright distress flag or your hazard lights to draw attention to your vehicle.
If trapped in a blizzard, clear your tail pipe and run your engine and heater for 10 minutes every hour. Open your window slightly.
During night hours, keep the dome light on in the car so rescue crews can see your vehicle.
Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include a three-day supply of water and non-perishable food that can be eaten without being cooked. Include a blanket or sleeping bag for each passenger, a flashlight, cell phone, shovel, sack of sand or kitty litter, booster cables, flare, coffee can with lid, and toilet paper.

PDF tip sheets in other languages: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

What should I do if I see damaged or downed power lines?

Department of Health Seattle & King County:

Don’t get near any fallen or sagging power line!
Call the utility company about the line
(Seattle area residents: 206-684-7400, other King County residents: 1-888-225-5773).

If you have a power outage, safe ways to stay warm

Find places where you can go to get warm, such as the home of friends and family whose homes have power.
Wear several layers of light weight, warm clothing rather than one layer of heavy clothing. Wear hats, mittens, and blankets indoors.
Close curtains and cover windows and doors with blankets. Everyone should try to stay together in one room, with the door closed, to keep in body heat.

Prevent poisoning from carbon monoxide

If you don’t have electricity, only use a generator outdoors and far from open windows and vents.
NEVER use a generator indoors, in garages or carports
NEVER cook or heat indoors with a charcoal or gas grill

Help Others

Warn others about carbon monoxide poisoning: PDF- Carbon monoxide facts in multiple languages – King County (fact sheet in 20+ languages)
Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially if they are elderly or if you think their power might be out.

Q&A RSV, flu and COVID in King County: What should I know?

In the Fall and Winter months there is often a rise in respiratory viruses. This Fall (2022) there have been many RSV and flu cases requiring emergency room visits – especially for young children. Health clinics might also see more COVID cases and hospitalizations in the winter as people gather indoors and new COVID variants spread. These diseases can make young children, older adults, and other vulnerable people very sick, and overload hospitals and clinics.

RSV is a common respiratory virus that spreads every winter. Anyone can get RSV, but in 2022 we’re seeing a lot of cases in young children. For healthy adults and older children RSV can feel like a cold, with symptoms like runny nose, less appetite, coughing, and fever. But it can be a very serious illness for babies, older adults, and others.

The Seattle and King County Department of Public Health has put together an informative slide deck in eighteen languages. The deck Includes information about RSV, flu and COVID in King County, what to look for and how to prevent illness.

These slides can be shared in waiting rooms, at community centers, and in other places where people gather. Slides are available in the following languages:
• አማርኛ (Amharic)
• العربية (Arabic)
• 简体字 (Chinese – Simplified)
• 繁體字 (Chinese – Traditional)
• دری (Dari)
• English
• Français (French)
• 日本語 (Japanese)
• ភាសាខ្មែរ (Khmer)
• 한국어 (Korean)
• KajinM̧ajeļ (Marshallese)
• ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi)
• Русский (Russian)
• Af Soomaali (Somali)
• Español (Spanish)
• Wikang Tagalog/Filipino (Tagalog/Filipino)
• ትግርኛ (Tigrinya)
• Українська (Ukrainian)
• Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)

Mental Health Booklets

The Health Council of the Ethiopian Community in Seattle have created booklets discussing Mental Health. They are available in Amharic/English (Ethiopian), Oromo/English, and Tigrinya/English (Eritrean).

See sidebar to download PDF booklets.

Screenshot from Viral Swab Instructional Video

Viral Swab Instructional Videos

These instructional videos were created to help explain the viral swab procedure to patients presenting with coronavirus symptoms at Harborview Medical Center. The videos were created with interpreters and hospital staff who walk the patients through the nose-swab testing, and offer post-visit information. The videos are available in 7 languages: English interpreted into Amharic, Arabic, Cantonese, Oromo, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Each video has an accompanying easy-to-scan QR code. If the patient wants to review the video once they are back home, they can scan the QR code which will automatically take them to the video on YouTube. QR code pdfs are available for download under each video, and are also found in the sidebar.

Download Amharic QR code PDF

Download Arabic QR code PDF

Download Cantonese QR code PDF

Download Oromo QR code PDF

Download Somali QR code PDF

Download Spanish QR code PDF

Download Vietnamese QR code PDF

Interpreter Bogale receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

Interpreter COVID-19 Vaccine PSA Videos

Medical interpreters share their experiences receiving COVID-19 vaccine, acknowledging community concerns and talking about common side effects.

Video scripts in Amharic, Oromo and Vietnamese are available in PDF format in the sidebar.

More information about Covid-19 vaccine at Public Health – Seattle & King County:
Amharic | Oromo | Somali | Vietnamese

2025 Diabetes Calendars

These are thirteen and fifteen month calendars with photos and information about healthy eating and diabetes.

They are provided in Arabic, Khmer (Cambodian), Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. All calendars also include English. See sidebar for PDFs for FREE downloadable files. Amharic (Ethiopian), and Tigrinya will be posted soon.

We encourage you to download and share with your communities!

Print on both sides of paper (flip paper on long edge) and fold to make calendar.

Video promotion for the 2024 Diabetes Calendars

Brain Death: What It Means

This handout offers information for families and loved ones of patients. It explains how doctors determine that a person is dead based on their brain function.

Handout PDFs are available at UW Medicine Health Online in English, Arabic, Tigrinya, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Amharic and Spanish languages.

For information for providers, see Determination of Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria – The World Brain Death Project (article accessible with JAMA subscription).

Sick Days and Diabetes

These materials were developed at Harborview Medical Center (Seattle, WA) for use in a multicultural diabetes class for patients and family members. The materials were translated into a number of languages and each PDF includes both target language and English. Several of the handouts have audio narration (about 3 min).

Audio and PDFs are available in the sidebar.

Updates to materials were funded by .