[Re: https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/who-cholera-kills-more-people-second-co... ]
Good day Neil
I agree with the statement that "Too often, discussions of quality of care ignore the vital importance of care by family and lay caregivers. Their actions are key to survival."
In any disease outbreak- the community are the first responders. lt is therefore important to equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to recognize, provide care and timely referral for those affected by Cholera. ln Cholera management time is golden - any minute lost to provide the necessary care contributes to loss of lives.
Working closely with communities requires taking into account the cultural contexts and beliefs which are usually a barrier to accepting knowledge on how to prevent and manage Cholera.
Prevention of Cholera requires behavioral change - which calls for well packaged information and community engagement. Risk Communication and Community Engagement is vital in this work. We often focus on imparting clinical skills to our first responders. ln my opinion - providing critical information through skilled communication cadres trusted by the community can contribute to lower cases and deaths from Cholera.
We need to find out what our communities know, how they understand the information we give them and how we can use appropriate culturally sensitive knowledge sharing to shift their mindsets and behaviors.
Kind regards
Venus Mushininga
Freelance Public Health Consultant
Mobile : +263783182249
Alternate e mail: venusdadirai@gmail.com
LinkedIn :www.linkedin.com/in/venus-mushininga-72001377
HIFA profile: Venus Mushininga is a pharmacist with the Ministry of Health and Childcare in Zimbabwe. She is a founder and President of the Zimbabwe Society of Oncology Pharmacy and the Zimbabewan delegate to the European Society of Oncology Pharmacy. Professional interests: Oncology, Dissemination of information through to Health Professionals and the public, Research. She is co-coordinator of the HIFA working group on information for Prescribers and Users of Medicines. vmushininga AT gmail.com https://www.hifa.org/support/members/venus