The COVID 19 outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020. COVID’19 spread from Wuhan, China till it reached even the recesses of Africa. Nigeria confirmed its first COVID 19 case on 27th February. Since then, the number of infected persons has risen slowly but steadily to over 200, although the number of deaths is still below ten.
There has been lots of concern and predictions about the large scale destruction the virus will have in poorer countries. The Nigerian government was pictured on Twitter asking Tesla to include her in the distribution of the free kits Tesla was planning. Additionally, the Minister of Health just announced that China will be sending supplies and a medical team to the country.
The core of the model for preventing the spread of the coronavirus has been to reduce human contact through social distancing and stay at home. Additionally, personal hygiene measures such as hand washing or the use of hand sanitisers have been advocated. Consensus has not been reached on whether it is necessary for uninfected persons in society to wear nose masks. Most professionals advise that it is unnecessary to wear masks. They cite the false sense of security and possible improper use as reasons for discouraging its use.
As part of our contribution to fighting the spread of the virus in Nigeria, we just concluded a training session for fifteen birth attendants in Enugu, Nigeria. We also donated hand sanitisers, sanitary buckets, hand gloves and nose masks. The training emphasized the proper donning of the PPEs and the need for personal hygiene and social distancing.
We are grateful to all our supporters and donors who made this possible. You have contributed immensely to help fight the COVID 19 threat in Nigeria. Our heartfelt wish is that this will be over soon.
All There is To Know About The TBA Support Program
Held Event – The TBA Support Program
It displeased our field staff in Enugu (Nigeria) to know that many pregnant mothers still left the primary health centre we had equipped, for the homes of traditional birth attendants. We had done much to reposition the health centre, yet some women wouldn’t go there.
So, our staff began to think about how best to help the situation. We could let the sleeping dog lie – whoever goes to the TBAs signed her own death warrant. Or we could reposition the TBAs – harness the existing system for the overall good.
A community health intervention program (CHIP) was birthed when it was decided that TBAs should be repositioned to offer better care. Over six months of planning and preparation went in. And out came, the first edition of the TBA support program. Fifteen traditional birth attendants gathered in the quiet city centre of Enugu to receive two-day training from the GEANCO Foundation staff.