Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The World Health Organization (WHO) has enjoined journalists to rise to the challenge of halting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy by educating, mobilizing and creating awareness amongst the populace.
As a result of the low percentage of the eligible population that has so far taken the COVID-19 vaccination, a little above six million as against the targeted population of 120 million, the federal government has launched a mass vaccination campaign, taken the exercise to places outside the hospital environment.
However, WHO said that the media as a noble group and profession has historically been proven to be trusted to provide information that shape the behaviour and lives of generations of peoples the world over.
The charge was contained in a message by the WHO’s Communication Officer, Charity Warigon, at the opening of a two-day annual conference organized by the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (AHNEJ) holding in Keffi, Nasarawa State on Thursday.
WHO noted that in the earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was the absence of sufficient knowledge to inform the people on the development of vaccines as the sciences were limited, which were exploited by mischief makers, through what is known as infodemics.
It said: “The media and journalists are the bridge between scientists and the public. It behoves every member of the Fourth Estate of the Realm to, as social responsibility, ensure the provision of accurate, timely, credible, understandable, relevant and actionable information through various communication channels.
“The challenges that the Nigerian media and journalists face notwithstanding this cohort of journalists have proven to be highly professional by rising to the test of the COVID-19 hesitancy by educating, mobilizing and creating awareness amongst the populace.”
WHO commended journalists on health beats, saying that they have proved their “capability and have done an invaluable work over the years and made the difference in helping people make informed decisions and positive choices to promote their health”.
It said the conference with the theme “Improving confidence in COVID-19 Vaccine” was very timely and apt, as it not only speaks to the present, but also to the future of making Nigerians healthier.
On what should be done to improve on what has been achieved so far in the COVID-19 vaccination, it said there is so much to attain in driving confidence in the vaccination effort by building trust and continuously being a trusted and reliable source.
“Our messaging must continue to remind the public that for the foreseeable future, we must continue to wear masks, physically distance, and avoid crowd. Being vaccinated doesn’t mean that we can throw caution to the wind and put ourselves and others at risk: relaxing public health and social measures interventions should be done cautiously and with careful attention paid to those who remain unvaccinated,” it said.
On its part, WHO said it remains resolute in sustaining the mutually beneficial partnership with AHNEJ towards promoting health and wellbeing, keeping the world safe and serving the vulnerable to achieve Universal Health Coverage and ensure that no one is left behind.
The Media and Communication Officer of Pathfinder International, Mr. Bayo Eboola, said that there is the need to confront the problem of vaccine hesitancy headlong so as to quicken the pace of ending the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter, Mr. Emma Ogbeche, commended the initiative of the association in organizing the health conference, urging AHNEJ to use the opportunity to further sensitize fellow journalists to embrace vaccination.
He also commended the association for picking topics for discussion that will help in furthering the cause of an improved healthcare for Nigerians.
Regarding the efforts made by the union to promote COVID-19 vaccination, Ogbeche said 650 journalists have so far been vaccinated at the FCT office of the NUJ as a result of the campaign mounted by the council.
Earlier, the President of ANHEJ, Mr. Hassan Zaggi, said the conference was meant to stir up conversation on the role of the media in driving the strategies for the achievement of universal health coverage by the year 2030.
He also said that the conference will examine Nigeria’s COVID-19 funding options and post pandemic recovery plan.
