PreventEpidemicsNaija: How a Media Strategy Contributed to Increasing Epidemic Preparedness Awareness in Nigeria

Around the United States, news organizations are taking a new approach to the use of mugshots in their crime reporting. While still the norm in many places, newsrooms like the Houston Chronicle have stopped publishing the common “mugshot slideshow,” and some, including Connecticut’s New Haven Independent, have stopped publishing them altogether. The practice, often used to generate page views, depict people at their worst, doing more harm than anything else.

By December 2023, the nationwide campaign had vaccinated about 4.7 million girls; however, Osun continued to experience pushback, with citizens resisting the campaign due to misinformation and a lack of understanding about the vaccine’s significance. The federal government also joined in, adding the HPV vaccine to its routine immunization system, which helped about 4.7 million girls get vaccinated.

To increase awareness of cervical cancer and the cancer-preventing HPV vaccine, Al-Ansar radio shares information about the disease, the vaccine and works to dispel speculation and misinformation about vaccines in general to those in underserved and hard-to-reach areas, as they’re often hardest to get vaccinated.

Several individuals and groups like Columbus Community Deathcare and Live Without Regrets doula services are emerging to offer LGBTQ+ people adequate deathcare as they often don’t have access to the same resources, autonomy or dignity as cisgender people. End-of-life doulas and other providers that embrace the Death Positive Movement are offering holistic care that honors a dying person’s wants and needs while respecting their identity.

The AFF Flagit app allows Nigerians to report crimes directly to federal agencies and the police to make the process easier, faster, and more effective. App users can choose to remain anonymous and submit any evidence they have with the report.

HelpMum offers a vaccination tracker app that allows parents to track their babies’ immunization schedules. Parents can track their child’s vaccination records and see when they’re due for another dose to ensure they’re staying up to date on immunizations.

Eyemark is a mobile application that allows citizens to track, monitor, and evaluate Federal Government projects they’re interested in across the country, as these projects often get abandoned with little to no information shared with the public. App users can also leave reviews of projects, as well as feedback that officials can address.

The One Liver radio program shares information on hepatitis screening and preventative lifestyle changes and hosts Q&A sessions with medical experts about the condition. The program reaches over 20,000 listeners each week and helps connect listeners with medical outreaches to get screened and vaccinated.

HelpMum works to reduce maternal and infant mortality by training community birth attendants on modern and safe delivery methods, as most traditional birth attendants lack proper training. Along with training sessions, the group also provides birth kits, or resources to help with the delivery process. So far, HelpMum is present in six states and has trained over 2,000 community health workers.

The Mahila Housing Trust initiative and the social impact agency Purpose are raising awareness of the dangerous air pollution women are exposed to when working in construction in Delhi. They’re working with locals to educate the public, encourage mask-wearing, and teach women to use air-quality monitors and report issues on an app.