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Training sessions conducted by the Center for Development and Reproductive Health (CDRH) and GRADE Foundation, supported by WHO and the StopTB Partnership Challenge Facility for Civil Society (CFCS), have equipped journalists and on-air personnel from Ebonyi and Anambra States with knowledge on gender-transformative and rights-based Tuberculosis programming.
During a virtual lecture delivered via Zoom at Danic Hotel, New Haven, Enugu, Professor Daniel Oshi, the founder of the Center For Development and Empowerment Foundation (CDRH) and the main trainer, urged the attendees to create a practical action plan to effectively connect with communities on issues related to Tuberculosis.
He emphasized that the workshop sought to create a supportive setting for enhancing TB case identification by strengthening women/girls organizations and TB CSOs through gender-transformative and rights-based strategies in TB programming.
During the session, Mr. Isaac Alobu, the Executive Director of CDRH, emphasized the necessity for individuals to steer clear of overcrowded settings in order to mitigate the spread of TB.
Alobu highlighted the importance of staying away from overcrowded settings to lower the instances of tuberculosis among people.
‘We organized what we called a one-day orientation and sensitization workshop for the media practitioners from Ebonyi and Anambra state, specifically to interact and discuss issues relating to gender and human rights aspects of Tuberculosis in Nigeria.’
‘The purpose of this orientation is to develop action plans on how to carry out or pass on messages in the area of gender and human rights on tuberculosis using different media platforms, including electronic, print, and social media.’
Read also: Anambra Tops In Cases Of Childhood Tuberculosis In Nigeria
‘Tuberculosis is an airborne infectious disease. it’s transmitted via droplets and nobody will say that he/she is free from being at risk of contracting it.’
‘The question is, how can one protect himself from Tuberculosis being an airborne disease? The best and most effective way to prevent members of the public from contracting it is to fish out all the suspected cases of tuberculosis, diagnose them, and place them on treatment. Once that is done, more than 60 percent chances of passing on the diseases to members of the public would have been realized.’
‘The next thing that is very key is that people should avoid overcrowded environments. Overcrowding is a potential factor that aids the transmission of not only tuberculosis but other infectious diseases that are transmitted via droplet that is airborne.’
‘And so, whether inside a vehicle, people should be as much as possible to be conscious of opening the windows of the car, or bus so that there will be cross ventilation. In the church, people should be able to avoid locking up themselves, and even in residential quarters, you should be able to have a well-ventilated area.’
‘The next thing that is very key in preventing tuberculosis is to educate members of the public on what are the clinical features or signs and symptoms of TB. Anybody who is coughing and the cough has persisted for more than 2 weeks without stopping even with medications, the person should suspect TB and then quickly go to the nearest health facility for diagnosis and appropriate care.’
‘If the person apart from suffering from a cough or experiencing a chronic cough of two weeks or more, but it’s associated with fever, restlessness, loss of body weight, feeling weak, loss of appetite, night sweats all these signs point to tuberculosis. The best option is to go to the nearest facility.’
‘On the side of the members of the public, we should be conscious, we should be our brother’s keepers, that is to say if you see anybody experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms you should politely and persuasively encourage such individual to go to the nearest facility for further investigation and management.’
‘We are not saying that every cough is due to tuberculosis but it is better to play safe.’
