CALABAR–In a strategic push to deepen awareness and combat the spread of intestinal worm infections among school-aged children, Evidence Action has called on journalists and media stakeholders in Cross River State to lend their platforms and voices to the cause of school-based deworming NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
This appeal came during a media parley held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Calabar on Saturday. The session brought together key members of the press and stakeholders in the health and education sectors to discuss the critical role of communication in scaling public health interventions, particularly in underserved communities.
Evidence Action, an international non-profit organization with operations across Africa and Asia, has been supporting deworming programs in Nigeria since 2016. In partnership with federal and state ministries of health, education, PHCDA, and SUBEB, the organization implements a School-Based Deworming (SBD) program targeting more than six million school-age children annually in five Nigerian states, including Cross River.
“We have treated over 42 million children across Nigeria since the inception of the program,” Toochi Ohaji, a senior manager of Evidence Action. “The cost per child remains under $0.50, making it one of the most efficient and cost-effective public health interventions available today.”
The SBD program addresses infections caused by soil-transmitted helminths (STH) and schistosomiasis, both of which are endemic in many rural communities where poor hygiene and sanitation persist. These infections can impair cognitive development, cause malnutrition, and even lead to long-term physical and intellectual stunting if left untreated.
Evidence Action’s technical assistance model includes disease prevalence surveys, drug coordination, teacher training, community mobilization, and rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes. More than 28,000 teachers, community distributors, and health workers are trained annually to deliver treatment across 27,000 schools.
The media, the organization emphasized, plays a pivotal role in demystifying the program, promoting its benefits, and countering misinformation that could hamper public participation. “We are not asking media houses to merely report; we are asking them to partner with us in protecting children’s futures,” Ohaji added.
