The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control NCDC in collaboration with Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria has developed tools to support training of media personnel on epidemiology and reporting diseases.
Director, Prevention Programmes and Knowledge Management, Head of Research, NCDC, Chinwe Ochu, spoke in Lagos, on the sideline of Media Preparedness Against Future and Current Outbreak Response Programme Brainstorming session.
Ochu explained that with the training, journalists and editors would be able to investigate information and know how to report scientifically diseases of public health importance.
On her part, Olayinka Umar-Farouk, Deputy Project Director, Risk Communication, Breakthrough ACTION – Nigeria, said journalists had always been part of the response of outbreaks.
She maintained that journalists needed to be recognised as first respondents.
Also, Field Coordinator, Nigerian Field and Laboratory Training Programme AFENET, Aishat Usman, said it had worked with Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Environment, to strengthen public health network force in Africa.
