The Communication team at the Luxembourg Institute of Health is pleased to announce the launch of #LIHTellMeWhy, an innovative initiative of catchy cartoons aiming to explain the COVID-19 situation to young children aged four to eight. The cartoons will be published on a weekly basis on the dedicated COVID-19 section of the LIH website.

“Mum, can the coronavirus go through the air and walls like phantoms do? And does it have friends?”

With schools being closed and kids at home, most parents will have realised that their children have lots of questions — sometimes very down to earth, sometimes very cute and funny — on the COVID-19 situation and on the coronavirus itself. Talking to one’s children is key, but having the right answers is not always easy, since it means adjusting the amount and detail of information to fit their age, given that they see the world very differently from adults.

LIH is here to help from this perspective too. Aside from carrying out complex research in high-security labs, the LIH staff is also there to inspire the younger generations and arouse their interest in the fascinating world of biomedical science. Indeed, one of the missions of the Institute is to find approachable and understandable ways of communicating its activities to lay audiences, making complex topics more easily comprehensible and therefore raising awareness on Luxembourg’s research efforts among the general public.

With this in mind, the LIH Communication department adopted an innovative approach to clarifying the current COVID-19 situation to young children. The team created “#LIHtellmewhy”, an original series of cartoons, which provides simplified information on ongoing COVID-19 research and developments for kids between the ages of four to eight. Each cartoon will address a specific question in a fun, entertaining and reliable way.

The cartoons will be published on a weekly basis both on the dedicated COVID-19 section of the LIH website and on LIH social media accounts (Facebook or Instagram).

Should you wish to submit your child’s questions, do not hesitate to contact the Communication team on communication@lih.lu to have it included in the #LIHTellMeWhy saga!