Lassa fever outbreak: NOA Sensitise communities, embarks on Roadshow ,town hall meeting in Kogi.
In a bid to arrest the escalation of Lassa fever plaguing some states, the National Orientation Agency NOA has commenced sensitisation campaigns through roadshow and town hall meetings across kogi state.
In a press briefing, preparatory to the take off of the road show in some prone areas on Monday in Lokoja, the Acting state Director, Patrick Edogbanya, noted that the road show is to enlighten and Sensitise the people in order to prevent the disease from infiltrating the state.
He said , aside from the roadshow campaign, the Agency has marked Dekina, headquarters of Dekina Local Government Area as the venue for the town hall meeting.
He added that Dekina was chosen as a means of taking the campaign to the grassroots as most of the causes of the disease are prevalent in the rural areas.
He added that the road show which kick off from the state secretariat in zone 8 would run through Zango , Barracks, Kabbawa , Old Market and other local communities in the state capital.
The state Director stated that the jingles were scripted in various languages in the state for easy grasp of the message tailored towards prevention of the disease from entry into the state.
Earlier, the Director General of NOA, Mallam Lanre Isa Oniru, in a statement, urge the people to enhance attitudinal change in order to tame the escalation of the dreaded disease from entry into the state.
The DG, represented by Edna Iria said Lassa fever is preventable even though, vaccines have not been discovered, stressing that people should take personal responsibility of their daily lives.
He said , the campaign is a critical step in the efforts to mobilize Nigerians to take proactive measures against this deadly disease especially that we are now in the dry season,a period of heightened vulnerability to the spread of Lassa fever.
“As you may be aware, Lassa fever has claimed precious lives in some parts of the country. This outbreak underscores the importance of collective action in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. We mourn the loss of lives and express solidarity with the affected families.
‘In response to this outbreak, the NOA, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), and other stakeholders, is launching a nationwide preventive campaign. Our objective is to educate Nigerians on the risks, prevention, and control measures to combat Lassa fever. We urge all Nigerians to take note of the following” He stated
He assured the people that Lassa fever is preventable, if good hygiene is maintained, stressing that practices like regular hand washing with soap and water, Store food in rodent-proof containers and Avoid contact with infected persons or contaminated materials are remedies against Lassa fever.
He said, the Agency has deployed network of state and local government offices to disseminate information and Utilize various media channels to amplify prevention messages.
While engaging community leaders, traditional rulers, and influencers to mobilize grassroots support., hinted that the Agency is Collaborating with schools to integrate Lassa fever and other infectious diseases prevention into their teaching engagements.
He called on Nigerians to
take personal responsibility for preventing Lassa fever, support public health initiatives and to report any suspicious case to relevant health institutions.
He commended President Tinubu and the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, and stakeholders for their immense support for the control of the Lassa fever and other transmitted diseases.
