NOA intensifies sensitisation campaign against infectious diseases

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it is stepping up efforts to tackle the outbreak of infectious diseases like cholera, meningitis and lassa fever across the country.

A statement issued on Friday by Paul Odenyi, NOA’s deputy director of press, quoted Lanre Issa-Onilu, the agency’s director-general, as saying that the campaign will help educate citizens on basic personal hygiene to mitigate the spread of the diseases.

Issa-Onilu noted that change in weather pattern like extreme heat conditions is expected to increase the severity of some of the diseases.

“In a bid to curb the spread of some infectious diseases across Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has intensified its integrated preventive campaign against three seasonal but infectious diseases namely cholera, meningitis and lassa fever,” the statement reads.

“For cerebral spinal meningitis, the DG said changes in weather pattern resulting in extreme heat, especially around the Northern part of the country.”

The NOA boss said the agency began its pilot campaign against cerebral spinal meningitis (CMS) in Ondo, Edo, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Bauchi and Ebonyi, and would extend its work to other states including Yobe and Borno with high cases of the disease.

He noted the agency began sensitisation against Lassa fever in August 2024, noting that it will commence for that of cholera in April — during the onset of the rainy season.

He urged citizens to take their personal hygiene seriously, wash their hands with sanitizer or soap regularly, ensure safe processing of food, and engage in general environmental sanitisation.

“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 droppings from open defecation into water bodies, which serve as source of water to several communities in Nigeria,” Issa-Onilu said.

“The integrated campaign on cholera 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 CSM outbreak was earlier recorded.”