The World Health Organization, WHO, in collaboration with Borno state ministry of Health have organised s 3 day workshop to journalists and social media influencers in Borno Adamawa and Yobe states.
The workshop was also aimed at improving increased the preponderance of lifesaving information on mass media and social platforms to enable at-risk populations to make informed decisions to protect themselves from infectious diseases.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop which was held at the Grand Pinnacle Hotel, Maiduguri on Monday, a WHO official , Mr Kingsley Igwebuike said ” the objective of the workshop was to improve the skills of journalist and social media influencers beyond mere information reporting to health behavior outcome reporting.
“The workshop will include key presentations on epidemic prone diseases, an overview of WHO mandates in health emergencies; Risk Communication aimed at equipping participants with the skills to report health behavior outcomes accurately and effectively.”
Mr Kingsley Igwebuike said ” the objective of the workshop was to improve the skills of journalist and social media influencers beyond mere information reporting to health behavior outcome reporting.
“Improve kind of contain and credible information in terms of health care emergency and transparency in public health response.
“Transparency is important in public health response because it help to build credibility , make many people to fellow them.Principles of emergency Rusk communication, to ensure that targeted report preventive messages to safe lives”.
The workshop had in attendance 50 journalists and social media participants drawn from various media organizations and social media platforms.are expected to be equipped with the necessary skills to go beyond mere informative reporting and focus on health behavior outcome reporting.
In his remarks , Dr. Lawi Mshelia, the Executive Director State Primary HealthCare Development Agency (SPHCDA), commended the WHO for the workshop, describing it as timely as it provide the participants to know the importance of accurate and timely information in public health emergencies.
Represented by a director in the Agency,, Hajia Fati, said that media plays a great role in disseminating information to the general public, and as such, it is crucial for journalists and social media influencers to be equipped with the necessary skills to report health behavior outcomes.
Also speaking on behalf of the participants, the Borno state chairman,Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ)Mr , Dauda Iliya, said the workshop will contribute significantly to the fight against infectious diseases in Borno State and Nigeria at large.
