JDPH -COMMUNITY HEALTH NGO NIGERIA

1. How can communities prepare for, detect, and respond to emerging pandemics and health Security threats?

2. Community engagement is essential at all stages of epidemic preparedness and response. Trusted, and effective communication and engagement approaches are critical to ensure that fear, panic and rumors do not undermine response efforts and lead to a disease spreading even more quickly. Community engagement can also help responders to gain an insight into the perceptions and behaviors of different groups, and to develop effective and targeted messaging. Engaging with communities before an epidemic is important to promote healthy practices and to understand their cultural and social norms. This can be achieved through advocacy, community engagement, SBC communication. Target country is Nigeria –North East Region.  

3. Increasing mental health literacy of the public is vital to prevent the mental health crises as a result of the impacts of emerging pandemics.

Combating loneliness, stress, depression, and other mental health impacts of disease outbreaks as well as mental illness causes by insurgency

Since the Boko Haram insurgency, about 2·2 million people have been reportedly displaced in northeastern Nigeria posing a major challenge to the system of local health security and mental health. (Aregbeshola ,2019)According to WHO, more than half of health infrastructures in Borno State are not functioning which impact negatively on Healthcare delivery System and IDPs mental health due to lost of loved ones, children etc. (Aregbeshola, 2019). JDPH can only respond effectively to disaster and contain disease outbreaks if the health system is viable; besides, functioning health-care systems are the bedrock of health security (Aregbeshola, 2019). Furthermore, if more people benefit from access to universal health coverage, more people sensitized and protected from health emergencies and more people enjoy better health and well-being, then communities can prepare and response to emerging pandemics, and by doing so together we can save lives. (WHO, 2019).

• The aim of JDPH as a community Health organization is to create awareness on disease transmission so that communities can play a role to stop the disease from spreading across the country . JDPH Key project activities included stakeholder, assessment of risk perception, knowledge, attitudes and practices, and identification of trusted sources of information and commonly used communication channels like Facebook, Twitter.  Social and behavior change communication activities and messages will be adapted based on feedback from communities, to ensure that they are effective at addressing myths, rumors, stigmas and misinformation.JDPH also recommends:

·         Strengthening of the existing primary health care system in Nigeria

·         supplying of medical equipment and drugs

·          Inclusion of gender/ sexual Reproductive Health services at all level

·          Training of local staffs and encouraging them to stay in the community by providing a reasonable accommodation and a fair wages is a way forward to prepare, detect, and response to emergency pandemic and heath security threats.

·      Effective and equitable access to diagnostics, Surveillance at community level, vaccines and antivirals (treatments) (World Health Organization, 2019).

• Target country is Nigeria –North East Region.
• Target population is Internally displaced persons camps(IDPs) and people living in hard-to-reach areas with no access to medical care, mental health services, WASH and security.

• : The upsurge in the number of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the rates of emotional trauma and mental illnesses globally ((Psychol Med, 2020).JDPH recommends that mental health interventions should be made available and accessible in order to reduce adverse mental health squeal of infectious disease outbreaks, and to offer guidance for mental health service responses to infectious disease at all level. This include:

• Increasing mental health literacy of the public is vital to prevent the mental health crisis
•  Group-based cognitive behavioral therapy
•  psychological first aid
•  Community-based psychosocial arts program, and other culturally adapted interventions can be effective against the mental health impacts of emerging pandemics.
• Culturally-adapted, cost-effective, and accessible strategies should be integrated into the public health emergency response and established medical systems at the local, state and national levels which may be a good choice to enhance mental state response capability for the present and for future communicable disease outbreaks as well as mental aid systems, psychosocial interventions, specific responses of psychiatrically hospitals and digital mental healthcare ((Psychol Med, 2020).
•  Education and support from the voluntary and professional mental health sectors should be a part of mental health prevention under large infectious disease outbreaks.
• Psychological and physical supports to different vulnerable populations, such as children, older adults, and health care workers. (Psychol Med, 2020).

• . Good community engagement can also help responders to gain an insight into the perceptions and behaviors of different groups, and to develop effective and targeted messaging. Engaging with communities before an epidemic is important to promote healthy practices and to understand their cultural and social norms (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, 2017).

Global public health security requires activities such as proactive and reactive efforts, to reduce the danger and impact of acute public health events that endanger people’s health across countries and international boundaries.(WHO, 2019). The globe is consistently beneath threat of rising and re-emerging diseases. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the need for strong public health leadership, organization, and better preparedness to rise up to new health challenges. 

 JDPH is dedicated to create awareness on disease transmission so that communities can play a role to stop the disease from spreading across Nigeria. JDPH Sensitization in Fune LGA Nigera

Community Health Justice and Peace Initiative for Development (JDPH) is a National Non-Governmental Organization working in the Catholic province of Jos, aimed at uplifting the living standard of rural and urban communities through capacity building and rendering lifesaving interventions in partnership with communities for a better society and good governance. Over the years, we and our partners have continued to provide developmental and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people in rural and crisis affected locations. We are committed to providing emergency relief services, empowering communities to be more resilient, embracing a culture of peaceful co-existence and social justice for all.  

JDPH is into community sensitization, advocacy, health services across North east Nigeria. Target population is 2.2 million people across North east Nigeria

commonly used communication channels like Facebook, Twitter.  Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) activities and messages will be adapted based on feedback from communities, to ensure that they are effective at addressing myths, rumors, stigmas and misinformation, youth and women empowerment

22,000 beneficiaries