The USAID-funded Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, a social behavioural change organisation, has donated updated public health reporting tools to the Ebonyi State Ministry of Environment.
The handover of the documents took place on Wednesday, 14th August 2024 at the Ministry’s headquarters in Centenary City, Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State Capital.
Some of the items include Risk Communication and Community Engagement Activity Forms and Tally Sheets.
Performing the handover, the Technical Assistant, Rapid Response, Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, Felix Okocha, explained that the donation of the tools followed the training of some environmental health officers from the three pilot local government areas of Abakaliki, Izzi and Ezza South in May 2024 on Risk Communication and Community Engagement to mitigate against lassa fever outbreaks in the state.
He noted that the organisation reviewed the previously existing tools and updated them with some emerging health challenges, adding that the delay in presenting the tools was a consequence of the review process.
Okocha further explained that the Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria supports federal, state and local government to prevent the spread of zoonotic and other infectious diseases, adding that the organization employs risk communication strategies to address all that the people need to do in terms of prevention which is paramount in any public health issue.
Okocha added: “As a preventive measure, we trained environmental health officers in three pilot local governments areas to conduct community activities, integrating sensitization of the people on the prevention and control of zoonotic diseases.
“These forms are very important in documenting activities because anything not documented is not done.
“They are like monitoring documents to enable government monitor the activities that are conducted by the Environmental Health Officers in our communities in terms of sensitization on prevention of infectious diseases, environmental sanitation and personal hygiene.
“They are to be used by Environmental Health Officers at the local government area levels to document their risk communication and community engagement activities during various events.”
Okocha noted that the support of BA-N is in line with the Global Health Security of the World Health Organisation which seeks a “One health” approach to combating diseases, aimed at bringing together the health, environment and Agriculture sectors together under one umbrella in public health issues management and coordination.
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This approach recognizes that most infectious diseases suffered by humans are transmitted from animals in a given environment.
The Director of Finance in the Ministry, Simon Omeh, who received the tools on behalf of the Commissioner, Victor Chukwu, appreciated the organisation, promising that they would make judicious use of the documents.
Others who spoke including the Director of Administration, Chibuisi Emegha, Head of , Environmental health services department, Jacinta Uzoke and the Head of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) department in Abakaliki local government area, Cletus Nkwuda, solicited for further training from the USAID Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria extending beyond the pilot local government areas.
