U.S. CDC Trains 2,000 Volunteers to Boost Cholera Response

The U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), in partnership with the Nigerian government, has trained 2,400 community volunteers across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sokoto, Ebonyi, and Ondo States.

U.S. CDC Senior Emergency Management Specialist, Dr Muhammad Saleh, made this known in an interview in Abuja.

Saleh said the training was part of a broader health security initiative aimed at improving Nigeria’s ability to detect, investigate, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.

“The volunteers were also required to raise awareness on safe hygiene practices, and link patients with health facilities for rapid treatment.

“The initiative leverages community trust to improve outbreak surveillance and prevention.”

According to him, because they were trusted members of their communities, people are more willing to listen to them.

“They can spot unusual cases quickly and raise the alarm. That early detection saves lives,” he said.

Saleh said that the volunteers go door-to-door teaching people proper hand-washing; discouraging open defecation; and warning against unsafe self-medication from roadside chemists.

He said they also plaid a crucial role in dispelling myths and misinformation about cholera and other infectious diseases.

He said, “Trust is everything; when a volunteer tells a neighbour that vomiting and passing stool could be cholera, people listen.

“They know this person, they see them daily; so, the message is credible.”

He said that the volunteers were part of a broader strategy to strengthen health system resilience.

Saleh said that Nigeria adopted new tools such as disease hotspot mapping and fully operational Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) in all the 36 states and the federal capital territory.

He acknowledged challenges such as limited resources, attrition of trained personnel, and the persistence of misinformation but said the collaborative approach between government, partners, and communities was already yielding results.

“Everybody has a role to play, communities, families, partners, and government.

“The more we sustain these collaborative efforts at the grassroots level, the more resilient Nigeria becomes against cholera and other infectious diseases,” he said.

NAN