Nigeria, APO Group/YOLA, August 4, 2022 As the global threat of monkeypox grows, Adamawa state public health officials have increased awareness campaigns to combat the ongoing outbreak in Nigeria.
The State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has launched a disease awareness campaign among state residents by utilizing WHO-trained community health educators (champions).
WHO assisted the state in training 21 community health champions to go door to door raising disease awareness in order to improve surveillance and strengthen public health measures. The monkeypox sensitization campaign began on July 28 in Yola North and was completed on August 2, 2022, with 3,780 households covered and over 26,000 people sensitized in three LGAs.
The campaign is part of a larger initiative to ensure disease prevention and detection in all communities.
Despite his own lack of knowledge, Alhaji Musa Tsoho, the community head (Mai Angwa) of Ajya settlement in Yola metropolis, praised the effort to educate people about the disease.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) viral disease that was previously thought to be restricted to Central and West African tropical rainforests, but has now been reported in several European, Asian, and American countries.
Following COVID-19, the disease has become the world’s next biggest scare, with the WHO keeping a close eye on the outbreak. There have been 16,016 confirmed cases of Monkeypox reported in 75 countries as of today (July 25th).
Nigeria reported 357 suspected and 133 confirmed cases between January and July 24, 2022. Meanwhile, 83 suspected cases were reported in Adamawa State, with 11 confirmed cases in four Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Mr Nuhu Yahaya, Adamawa State Health Education Officer, praised WHO for its assistance, saying the campaign is critical to intensifying health risk messaging on monkeypox and other epidemic-prone diseases, which is critical to breaking community transmission.
“The team would also use this opportunity to encourage community members to get the COVID-19 vaccination at the nearest health facility,” he added.
Furthermore, Dr. Richard Lako, WHO Northeast Emergency Manager, emphasized the importance of continuing to disseminate health risk messages to vulnerable populations.
Dr. Lako stated that effective risk message communication would aid in the prevention of disease outbreaks by empowering communities to make better decisions.
He stated that, with funding from Germany, USAID, and ECHO, WHO continues to help the governments of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) states respond to disease burdens and increase risk messages in the states.
