By Bunmi Yekini
A Nigerian association of health journalists has called on President Bola Tinubu to include its members on a newly formed presidential task force on Ebola, arguing that media expertise will be essential to containing public panic and misinformation as the government races to shield the country from a deadly outbreak in central Africa.
The Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN) said in a statement that it welcomed Tinubu’s decision this week to set up the Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and to release 10 billion naira ($6.5 million) in emergency funding, calling the moves a sign of decisive leadership.
The Ebola virus disease outbreak, which originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo before spreading to Uganda, has killed at least 349 people, according to the statement. The World Health Organization has declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, prompting Nigerian authorities to step up screening at international airports and activate isolation centres in Lagos and Abuja.
HEWAN, whose leadership includes President Vivian Ihechu and Secretary Temitope Obayendo, said health writers should be given a formal seat on the task force to help translate complex epidemiological information into language ordinary Nigerians can understand and to counter rumours before they spread.
The group pointed to Nigeria’s response to an Ebola outbreak in 2014, when it said its members worked alongside health authorities to dispel false claims, including a widely circulated rumour that bathing in salt water could prevent infection. That campaign is widely credited with helping Nigeria contain the virus to a small number of cases.
“Public health crises are fought as much on the airwaves and in print as they are in isolation wards and laboratories,” the association said, warning that excluding trained health journalists from the task force could leave a “communication gap” that misinformation would fill.
Ebola virus disease causes severe, often fatal haemorrhagic fever in humans. It is transmitted through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected animals such as fruit bats and primates, and then spreads from person to person. Symptoms include sudden fever, severe weakness, vomiting and, in advanced cases, internal and external bleeding.
HEWAN said it stood ready to mobilise its nationwide network of reporters to support the government’s response, adding that the success of the 10-billion-naira intervention would depend on pairing medical efforts with effective public communication.