Ebola Outbreak Concerns: Medical Journalists Push for Role in Tinubu's Response Team, Welcome N10bn Relief Allocation

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged by the Health Writers Association of Nigeria, HEWAN, to include health journalists in the newly established Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness, as this would help prevent misinformation and public panic from undermining Nigeria's response to the outbreak. The association made this appeal on Wednesday, citing the critical need for accurate information dissemination in the face of the deadly Ebola outbreak ravaging parts of Africa.

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HEWAN commended President Tinubu for his swift and proactive response to the growing Ebola threat, particularly the approval of a N10 billion emergency intervention fund aimed at strengthening national preparedness, which the association described as a commendable move. This development came as the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak continues to spread across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, resulting in at least 349 reported deaths.

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The World Health Organisation, WHO, had already declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, PHEIC, heightening fears of cross-border transmission due to increasing international travel and porous borders, thus necessitating a coordinated response. The creation of the Presidential Task Force and the release of emergency funding came at a critical moment, according to HEWAN, which issued a press statement in Lagos to this effect.

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The press statement, jointly signed by HEWAN President, Mrs Vivian Ihechu, and Secretary, Mrs. Temitope Obayendo, stressed that Nigeria's success in containing Ebola in 2014 was largely driven by coordinated risk communication involving trained health journalists, who played a vital role in translating scientific information into simple public messages. This experience underscores the importance of health journalists in public health crises, which are fought as much on the airwaves and in print as they are in isolation wards and laboratories.

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Without a strategic media pipeline embedded within the highest decision-making body, the fight against a highly contagious virus faces an immediate deficit in public trust and communication velocity, according to the association, which warned of the dangers of excluding trained health communicators from the task force. The association noted that health writers are not passive observers, but essential public health first responders who bridge the gap between scientific containment and civic cooperation.

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During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, health journalists played a frontline role in countering dangerous misinformation, including the widely circulated but false “saltwater bath” cure, and the association believes that their inclusion in the Presidential Task Force would help the Federal Government sustain accurate public awareness campaigns, combat fake news, and rapidly disseminate life-saving information to rural and urban communities alike. This would be crucial in preventing the spread of the disease and ensuring public compliance with preventive measures.

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Excluding trained health communicators from the task force could create a dangerous communication gap where misinformation can thrive, potentially weakening public compliance with preventive measures, according to HEWAN, which argued that integrating health journalists into the response framework would ensure that the N10 billion intervention fund is backed by a robust, world-class communication infrastructure. This infrastructure would be capable of driving nationwide sensitisation and supporting the Federal Government's Ebola preparedness efforts.

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The association pledged to deploy its nationwide media network in support of the Federal Government's Ebola preparedness efforts, emphasizing that health security is a collaborative habit, and HEWAN stands fully prepared to guarantee that this national intervention achieves absolute success. By working together, Nigeria can keep its citizens safe from the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.

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Ebola Virus Disease is a severe and often fatal illness transmitted through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated animals, with symptoms including fever, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding, making it essential to take proactive measures to prevent its spread and ensure public safety.