Group Launches Innovative Knowledge Based COVID-19 Prevention Awareness Campaign in Mbaise

New York, April 6, 2020; An Owerri, Imo State  headquartered organization, Mbaise Policy Roundtable (MPR), through its New York, USA office, announced the launching of her innovative COVID 19 prevention program,  called the “MPR Coronavirus Prevention Awareness Program (MCPAP)”. In the statement titled “MPR Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Mbaise”, signed by Dr. Keyna Osondu Omenukor, Director Health Sector Program, stated that “….this program would uniquely adapt coronavirus prevention global best practices to our people’s way of life, using community based trained health resources”. 

The statement elaborated further, “That Mbaise Policy Roundtable (MPR), as part of its response to COVID-19 Pandemic in Mbaise, will partner with the Imo State ministry of health in creating awareness and outreach to our people on how to prevent the spread of Coronavirus. Already, the ministry of health has in place a surveillance system comprising Disease Surveillance and Notification officers (DSNOs) and community informants whose experience and expertise can be leveraged at the community level to drive home this message.”

“There are 12 political wards respectively in each of the three Mbaise local government, Ahiazu, Aboh and Ezinihitte Mbaise and 5 community informants would be engaged in each ward. These community informants would be trained by the DSNOs on the messages they would deliver to the community. They are expected to go round their wards at least once a week to remind the people on the key preventive measures they must observe to stop the spread of the virus.”

Responding to a question Dr Jude Iheoma, Chief Program Director for the group added that  “The MPR intends to have three volunteer coordinators in the three local governments who are members of MPR and residing in the area to work with the DSNOs to supervise the community informants on how they are performing their jobs during this intervention period. The coordinators shall collaborate with the DSNOs to generate a detailed report of the intervention and a comprehensive feedback on its effectiveness and efficacy after 4 weeks.”

“Based on expert guidelines and the state of the pandemic, there could be a review, modification of this intervention to address the emerging new realities or complete cessation of the program.”

Also Commenting on the new MCPAP strategy, the group’s Chairman Professor Eddie Oparaoji referred to a text from a member, Dr A.C. Odunze who said that “…majority of our people are unmindful of  Govt’s instructions on stay at home and social distancing. They will tell you openly that the virus is not for them. They still attend choir practice church Services. The markets all well attended….The people are adamant to what the WHO and the Govt are saying. They are still living their normal way of life”. Professor Oparaoji said “Sincerely, while this scenario scares the hell out of me, when imagining the worst case scenario of an explosion of this virus in our community, I am also heartened that, albeit out of ignorance, that our people’s way of life has not been brought to a grinding halt, with graver consequences. That said, the non-compliance of our people to the dos and donts against the coronavirus, despite barrages of messages from Government, agencies, organizations through mainstream, social and or town crier media, is quite concerning and an indication that a new and creative messaging strategy is urgently needed. Following comprehensive discussions by our MPR health Program Sector leaders, with health resources from the LGAs, Imo State and WHO, we developed this best-in-class community based strategy-“MPR Coronavirus Prevention Awareness Program (MCPAP)”,  to reach and empower our community with the knowledge of the coronavirus, numbers to call for medical counseling or concerns, and how to adequately protect themselves, others and our community at large.”

For Media Contact:

Sign: Mr Casca Ohanele

Press Secretary

MPR, Inc

447 Broadway, 2nd Floor #380 New York, NY 10013

e-mail – mp.roundtable@gmail.com

Tel- 631-358-5041