The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has published Intensifying outbreak preparedness. Excerpt:
Nigeria usually experiences an increase in the number of Lassa fever and Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) cases during the dry season. Ahead of the start of the dry season, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has increased the intensity of outbreak preparedness, at various levels.
Following the large outbreak of Lassa fever in 2018, the National Technical Working Group has developed a five-year strategy, with the goal to reduce the case fatality ratio of Lassa fever. In addition, an Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for Cerebrospinal Meningitis has been developed.
Risk communications is a key component of these strategies. As part of this, an advocacy meeting with members of the Media and Civil Society Organizations (CSO) was held on 21st November, 2018 in Abuja.
The meeting aimed at strengthening collaboration between NCDC, the media and CSOs. Importantly, discussions involved opportunities to work together to limit misinformation, and utilise various channels to enlighten and educate the public on how to protect themselves and their communities from these infectious diseases.
In addition, NCDC has begun a weekly radio programme, aired every Monday at 5:30pm (WAT) on Radio Nigeria across states in the country. This is targeted at members of the public especially in rural areas, to educate them on prevention against outbreaks. Newspaper adverts on Lassa fever prevention have also been published in major dailies.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control will continue to prioritise risk communication, and work with stakeholders to protect the health of Nigerians. For more information on preparedness activities, kindly visit: ncdc.gov.ng.
