EDSPHCDA charges Media on Vaccine Preventable diseases

By Our Reporter

The Health Educator, Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency (EDSPHCDA), Mrs. Irene Uabor has charged the media sector to take the lead in educating Nigerians to the realities of vaccine preventable diseases and implications.

In her presentation at a 2-day ‘Media Engagement on COVID-19 Vaccination Ramp Up in Edo State,’ she also said that “Media associations must take the lead in collecting evidence for advocacy to improve public response around ownership and joint responsibility to immunisations as life course.”

According to her, the media have the pools and platforms from which the narratives are shaped.

Speaking on the theme, “Role of the Media in Advancing Immunisation,” she said that “In the private sector, media must programme intentionally to include Routine Immunisation and Primary Health Care (PHC) services issues, advances and updates as well as programming that investigates government efforts in implementation, especially funding.

She urged the media to work with national, state and local authorities to promote vaccine benefits and uptake and as well work with the government and partners to ensure that the public have access to correct information on COVID-19 vaccine

She noted that the media must take the lead to dispel rumours/misinformation on COVID-19; become sources of credible information on the scourge; avoid sensational headlines and reports that damage the vaccine programme and also verify all information from credible sources, especially the EDSPHCDA.

The Director, Department of Community and Family Health Services, EDSPHCDA, Dr. Idemudia Osayomore said that the belief that COVID has the capacity to resurge informed the agency’s unrelenting efforts on COVID messages

On her part, the Director of Planning and Statistics, Mrs Esther Ajayi in her presentation urged the media to use their multi-media platforms to pass the right information on COVID to the public