The experts stated this at a webinar on Tuesday hosted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Health experts have emphasised the crucial role of community engagement in controlling the spread of Lassa fever across Nigeria.
The experts stated this at a webinar on Tuesday hosted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and themed: "Localising Communication to Combat Lassa Fever: The Role of Sociocultural Context in Effective Community Involvement."
The State Health Promotion Officer for Edo State, Dieyinye Hitlar, a medical doctor, stressed that a human-centred design approach is crucial for effective Lassa fever prevention and control.
Mr Hitlar said, "We need to understand the human factor if we are to make any progress at all when it comes to disease prevention, detection, response."
Effective communication
The Strategic Communications Officer at Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Meyiwa Ede, in her remarks emphasised the importance of understanding the human factor in disease prevention and control.
She said, "You have to understand who the people are, what their psychological needs are, what their values are, what their beliefs are, what is important."
Furthermore, she revealed that Breakthrough Action Nigeria has adopted a community-centred approach to effectively communicate about Lassa fever where they engaged communities in the design and implementation of public health interventions, building trust, and leveraging local knowledge and resources.
Ms Ede noted: "We try to design programmes for people, but the reality of human behaviour is always different from what we think we know."
To address this, she noted that Breakthrough Action conducts community listening, synthesises research, and co-develops culturally relevant communication materials.
She stated that building the capacity of local leaders and volunteers is key to disseminating messages and model behaviours establishing two-way communication channels for information sharing and feedback.
She emphasised the need for adaptive programming, stating "We need to sit back and think, what are we doing? What can we do better? How can we improve on the programming that we have done?"
Importance of collaboration
Speaking also at the webinar, The Health Educator and Infodemic Management Focal Person for Bauchi State, Sani Hassan, highlighted the important role of community listening and collaboration in combating Lassa fever, recounting their experience in the state.
He said, "Community listening plays a vital role when addressing cultural barriers."
Mr Hassan said by engaging with community support groups and informers, his team gained valuable insights into community needs, enabling targeted interventions.
Additionally, he noted that the community listening approach involves using data to inform disease communication and community engagement activities, reviewing communication materials and dramas on Lassa fever, actively and passively listening to rumours, and holding community discussions to address misconceptions.
Mr Hassan noted, that by doing that, they recorded a remarkable success adding that communities and local landmarks that were not reporting Lassa fever before are now taking themselves to the hospital for investigation and treatment.
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Mr Hiltar emphasised the urgent need for a paradigm shift in disease intervention strategies. He stressed that it is crucial to place humans at the centre of our interventions, taking into account socio-cultural interactions with the environment.
"As we move forward in combating Lassa fever and other diseases, we must prioritise a human-centred approach," Mr Hiltar urged.
He noted that this entails recognising the intricate relationships between individuals, their socio-cultural contexts, and the environment.
He emphasised that this paradigm shift requires understanding human behaviour and motivations, addressing socio-cultural factors influencing disease transmission, integrating environmental considerations into intervention designs, and empowering local communities to take ownership of disease prevention and control.
