Mpox: Red Cross to deploy 4,000 volunteers for awareness creation

The Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) has said that it will deploy 4,000 community volunteers to conduct risk assessment communication, educate the populace about the infection, and curb stigmatisation against those infected.

Director of Health and Care, NRCS, Dr. Manir Jega, made this known at a three-day capacity building workshop for states’ sub-national teams, organised in partnership with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Tuesday in Abuja.

“We are supporting the Nigerian government to respond to the Mpox outbreak as cases of the infection have been reported in almost all the states of the federation. The Nigerian Red Cross is specifically supporting the deployment of 4,000 community volunteers that are going to go into the nooks and crannies of those high-burden states to conduct risk communication and community engagement. They would also be supporting with surveillance and active case searches for the disease.

“Because there is stigma attached to Mpox, people who are affected often find it very difficult to interact with the population. So part of these volunteers will be trained on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and they will provide support and build the confidence of people, especially those affected, so that the stigma will be low, even though the mortality is very low, and Nigeria has not recorded any deaths,” he explained.

Senior Epidemic Preparedness and Response Officer, NCDC, Dr. Odianosen Ehiakhamen, said that the programme is a train-the-trainer initiative, with the aim of cascading the knowledge acquired to other team members before they are sent into selected grassroots communities.

In addition, live phone-in radio shows will provide an avenue for experts to educate the public on all they need to know about Mpox.

He said, “We think that identification and reporting of cases at the grassroots is key. So we want to be able to train people at the local government and ward levels to promptly report cases and have them tested, as this will help us respond promptly to the outbreak and actually stop the spread of Mpox.

“Mpox is not really new to us; Nigeria is endemic for Mpox. In 2022, we had our largest outbreak of over 760 confirmed cases, and the people usually affected are young adults. But recently, we are seeing children below the age of 15 very much affected, especially in 2024, where we have a large affectation, particularly among children 0-5 years of age.”

According to him, Nigeria has recorded 1,386 suspected cases and 80 confirmed cases across 24 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with about 68 percent of those infected being male and 32 percent female.