HEALTH EXPERT CHARGES JOURNALISTS TO ENLIGHTEN PUBLIC ON PERSONAL HYGIENE

By Atanga Philip

A health expert, with the World Health organisation WHO, Doctor Ahemen Terseer has charged Journalists to enlighten members of the public on the importance of personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness as basics for healthy living.

He stated this at a three-day workshop organized for media personality by the Adamawa state ministry of health in collaboration with World Health Organization on health and behavioural change reporting, taking place in Yola.

Doctor Terseer explained that diseases such as Lassa fever is caused by rat droplets and feaces which eventually come into contact with the people through drinking unclean water or food.

According to the health expert, the situation consequently leads to the outbreak of other dangerous diseases, hence the need for people to take issue of personal hygiene seriously.

He stressed the need to be proactive to the propensity of epidemic outbreak in a society, rather than reactive, by which time damage may have been done.

On the particular type of rat that causes Lassa fever, Doctor Terseer advised the public to desist from consuming such rat, given the tendency of any rat coming into contact with the vector rat thereby causing harm.

The facilitator suggested early detection of a disease as one of the ways of preventing its spread.

Others include health seeking behaviour of the people, consciousness of the community to the presentation of the epidemic prone disease.

He also identified prompt notification of appropriate authorities and good laboratory stock with equipment for testing and personnel as a ways leading to stemming the tide of an epidemic.

Ahemen Terseer added that among other diseases ravaging the society due to a number of factors include cerebrospinal meningitis, cholera and monkey pox.

He emphatically stressed the need for personal hygiene and immunization to improve the healthy society.

There was also a presentation by Doctor Adiel Apagu of WHO on Emergency Response Framework