Nigerian health journalists champion initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance

Recently, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, linked antimicrobial resistance to more than 64,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2019.

As the world continues to grapple with the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), health journalists in Nigeria are taking the lead in championing initiatives to raise awareness and combat the menace.

During the 2024 World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW), marked 18 to 24 November, freelance health journalist and convener of Art for Health Naija, Rose-Camile Aneke, organised an art event tagged, ‘Microbe Madness’ as part of the Media EIS fellowship’s commitments to raise awareness about AMR.

The event held in Enugu, Enugu State, featured an art exhibition, drama performance, and animation premiere all aimed at raising awareness about AMR.

Similarly, in Imo State, a group of health journalists led by Media EIS fellow and reporter with Hot 99.5 FM Owerri, Chukwuemeka Paschal, organised a workshop for 35 participants across print, broadcast media, and online outlets to educate themselves and their audience about the dangers of AMR.

The theme for the 2024 WAAW is “Educate. Advocate. Act now,” focusing on raising awareness about AMR and promoting best practices to combat this global health threat.

About antimicrobial resistance

AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites become resistant to the medicines used to treat infections, making these medicines ineffective.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMR is the third leading cause of mortality in the world, with over one million deaths directly linked to bacterial AMR, and five million deaths indirectly.

AMR is driven by the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs in humans, animals, and agriculture. In healthcare, inappropriate prescription or incomplete treatment courses can contribute to resistance.

WHO and other studies project that AMR could lead to approximately 10 million deaths annually by 2050.

Recently, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, linked AMR to more than 64,000 deaths in Nigeria in 2019.

Workshop in Imo

In his address, Mr Paschal emphasised the urgency in tackling the growing threat of AMR, stating that health journalists have a pivotal role to play in amplifying the issues, mobilising public awareness, and inspiring policy change.

The NCDC Antimicrobial Stewardship Manager, Ridwan Yahaya, and Rachael Abujah, an AMR ambassador, highlighted the alarming burden of AMR in Nigeria and called on health journalists to raise awareness, uncover stories, and hold leaders accountable.

The Resident Advisor for the Media EIS programme and Deputy Project Director, Risk Communication at Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria, Olayinka Umar-Farouk, also spoke on effective reporting strategies for AMR awareness.

Mrs Umar-Farouk emphasised social behavioural change while urging health journalists to remain agents for change by championing and advocating AMR awareness.

Art for awareness

In her remark, Ms Aneke noted that the art event in Enugu serves as a creative and engaging platform to educate about AMR, emphasising the need to adopt preventive practices, including regular hand washing, avoiding self-medication, adhering to prescribed medications, and getting vaccinated to prevent diseases.

“The first awareness was in Owerri and now we are in Enugu, we plan to keep moving. We are trying to be creative around spreading messages around health in ways that are captivating and educating for the public,” she said.

Speaking at the event in Enugu, a faculty member of the Media-EIS fellowship programme, Leslie Udoh said that the choice of art exhibition, including microbe-related games, paintings and drama became necessary as arts have emerged as a form of expression which helps to immortalise messages, particularly those around health.

About Media EIS fellowship

The MEDIA-EIS fellowship is a capacity-building programme initiated to develop the knowledge and skills of journalists working in the public health space through comprehensive training on basic epidemiology, infodemiology, and social and behaviour change (SBC)/risk communication.

The fellowship is a collaborative project of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), and Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria (BA-Nigeria) and led by Johns Hopkins Centre for Communication Programmes Field Epidemiology.

This fellowship supports journalists in improving communication strategies, fostering trust within communities, countering misinformation, and promoting effective public health initiatives.