Members of the Association of Nigeria Health Journalist (ANHEJ) recently gathered at the nations capital territory, Abuja for a one day step-down training programme on Media Epidemiology, Infodemiology and Social Behaviour Change (Media-EIS) tracks as well as on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The event was organized by Mrs Ojoma Akor, a Media-EIS fellow with support from the USAID- funded Breakthrough ACTION- Nigeria.
The training covered key highlights of basic epidemiology such as difference between medicine and epidemiology, some epidemiology concepts, measures of disease frequency as well as principles of infection prevention and control.
The training as reliably gathered by The Communicator On-line Newspaper, will help journalists to understand scientific information and translate it to the public including during disease outbreaks .
In her presentation, Mrs Ojoma Akor noted that Epidemiologists are concerned not only with death, illness and disability, but also with more positive health states and, most importantly, with the means to improve health.
Speaking further she noted ” Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to the prevention and control of health problems. While Study includes: surveillance, observation, hypothesis testing, analytic research and experiments.
“Distribution refers to analysis of times, persons, places and classes of people affected. Determinants include factors that influence health: biological, chemical, physical, social, cultural, economic, genetic and behavioural.
She added that the aim of public health is to promote, protect, and restore health adding that while Clinical medicine focused on treating individuals already with ailment Epidemiology focuses on populations with aim of preventing and controlling outbreak of disease.
She however called on Journalists to use the knowledge and information gathered at the event to influence behavior and social norm for positive health, social and environmental outcomes adding that media role in shaping attitudes, influencing social norms and driving behavior change cannot be over emphasized.
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