BEYOND CRISIS RESPONSE

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·         Health security should be rooted in communities, writes EMMANUEL UKO

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·         When Fatima, a market woman and Health Champion, in Lagos’ Ajeromi-Ifelodun community in Lagos State, noticed an unusual spike in diarrhoea cases among children, she did not dismiss it as coincidence. She called Ajayi, another Health Champion living in their community. Together they mounted a swift response that included hygiene sensitisation, early reporting, and community alerts. Through their action, what could have spread quickly was contained early.

·         Fatima’s confidence to identify a public health threat and act on it was born of an initiative led by the Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, an organisation inspired by the courage of Dr. Adadevoh, who contained Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola index case and prevented a regional catastrophe. Her legacy lives on in the organisation through the simple principle that prevention is essential and should be everyone’s responsibility.

·         Today, that principle is taking root in markets, schools, clinics, and policymakers’ offices.

·         “People don’t always realise they have the power to stop disease before it spreads,” says Christopher Aliu, DRASA’s Health Security Program Manager. “We want those already central to community life, like market people, transport workers and artisans, to become catalysts for healthy communities.”

·         In Somolu part of Lagos State, Kehinde, a traditional birth attendant has embraced that role. “I now sensitise my neighbours to maintain cleanliness,” she explains. “What was once normal is now a community concern because we know it spreads disease.” From her words, there is a cultural shift, indicating that prevention is becoming a shared responsibility.

·         In secondary schools, the transformation is equally visible. Ms. Adesoye, now a nursing student and former member of the DRASA Health and Hygiene Club in her secondary school, recalls how early exposure reshaped her outlook. “I learned to look beyond symptoms, to the systems that break down when infectious diseases take hold,” she says.

·         The shift in mindset is equally happening inside healthcare facilities due to the trainings on infection prevention and control (IPC) that DRASA provides. Nurse Fatimoh, an IPC focal person in a healthcare facility in Ibeju-Lekki expresses the shift, “IPC starts with us who are always on ground in the facility.” The trainings on IPC is strengthening clinical safety standards, and reducing risks for both patients and healthcare workers. What is emerging is a layered defence system, alert citizens, prepared professionals, and aligned institutions.

·         At the national level, this community-driven approach is gaining resonance. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate emphasized at the 10th anniversary of DRASA Health Trust, that “health security must be rooted in communities.” Policy frameworks, he argues, succeed only when they reflect grassroots realities. The DRASA model bridges this divide, connecting community intelligence with national strategy.

·         Nigeria’s vulnerabilities remain evident with the recurrent cholera outbreaks, Lassa fever outbreaks, spread of antimicrobial resistance (drug-resistant infections), and the lingering lessons of COVID-19. We know that as a country, we cannot afford a reactive posture. The DRASA approach demonstrates that resilience is built by coordinated vigilance, making individuals part of the solution.

·         To consolidate these gains, three actions are critical.

·         First, community Health Champions, more like disease detectives, should be formally integrated into community-based surveillance structures countrywide, with standardised training and sustained funding.

·         Secondly, IPC should be institutionalized across all levels of healthcare (public & private). To protect patients and healthcare workers, enforceable standards, routine audits, compliance monitoring, and accountability mechanisms should be ensured.

·         Thirdly, youth and community engagement should be expanded, and antimicrobial resistance and disease prevention should be embedded into the secondary school curriculum.

·         The story that began in 2014 with Dr. Adadevoh’s courage has evolved into a growing countrywide network of prepared citizens called Health Champions. In markets and maternity wards, classrooms and boardrooms, a renewed understanding is emerging, that prevention is more powerful than cure.

·         Strengthening Nigeria’s health security requires sustained investment, political will, and community ownership. The task now is to ensure that vigilance becomes a permanent part of our infrastructure, and that every Nigerian, like Fatima and Ajayi, understands that protecting public health begins with personal action.

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·          Uko is the Corporate Communications Manager of Dr. Ameyo Stella Adadevoh (DRASA) Health Trust

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