By: Mercy Peter
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has intensified its campaign against three seasonal preventive but infectious diseases namely Cholera, Meningitis and Lassa fever.
Mr. Paul Odenyi, Deputy Director, Media and Publicity, NOA said all efforts are in a bid to create the necessary awareness so as to curb the spread of infectious diseases across Nigeria.
Odenyi also quoted the Director General of the Agency, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, telling heads of state offices involved in the campaigns that lack of awareness of the required preventive measures contribute to the recurrence of the epidemic around Nigeria every year.
The statement further noted: “For Cerebrospinal Meningitis, the DG emphasised the contribution of changes in weather, resulting in extreme heat, especially around the Northern part of the country.
“The campaign against Lassa Fever which began around August 2024 is giving way to the sensitisation on the spread of CSM which results from extreme heat waves, while the rise of cholera follows the flow of open defecation into water bodies, which serve as source of water to several communities in Nigeria. The integrated campaign is expected to take off in April as the rainy season sets in.
“According to the agency, the first stage of the integrated Campaign started from selected states of the six (6) geo-political zones in Nigeria namely; Ondo, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi and Ebonyi state as shown by epidemiological data from the National Centre for Disease Control. The campaign is to spread to Yobe and Borno states where reports of the CSM outbreak were earlier recorded.
“The Agency also highlighted some preventive measures citizens can observe to reduce the spread of these infectious diseases, they include;
• Taking personal hygiene seriously;
• Regular washing of hands with sanitizer or soap;
• Safe processing of food; and
• General environmental sanitization.
“The core objective of the campaign is educating citizens on basic personal hygiene to mitigate the spread of these diseases.”
