Koforidua: The Eastern Regional Health Directorate has organized a one-day workshop in Koforidua, aimed at equipping journalists with the skills necessary for responsible reporting during disease outbreaks. Participants included representatives from prominent media outlets such as Ghana News Agency (GNA), Adom FM, TV3, TV Africa, GhOneTV, Citi TV, and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC).
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. John Ekow Otoo, Eastern Regional Deputy Director of Public Health, emphasized the indispensable role of the media in disseminating timely and accurate information during health crises. He highlighted the importance of engaging journalists to ensure that the public receive reliable updates, avoiding misinformation and its potentially harmful consequences.
The training focused on empowering journalists with tools for fact-checking and verifying information prior to publication, while underscoring the value of professional ethics to prevent sensationalized reporting. The initiative reflects the Directorate's commitment to fostering responsible journalism as a cornerstone of effective public health response.
Dr. Otoo stated that accurate reporting shaped public perception and behavior, leading to a better understanding of health campaigns on vaccination, malaria, tuberculosis, among others. He stressed that misinformation and sensationalism can lead to fear and panic, or vaccine hesitancy, citing myths about COVID-19 vaccines as an example.
He guided participants through the foundational knowledge of infectious diseases, their transmission routes, and control measures. He urged them to familiarize themselves with public health agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health ministries, and their roles in outbreak response.
Dr. Otoo explained the types of outbreaks: epidemic, pandemic, and sporadic. He described an epidemic as a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease within a specific region or population, using the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as an example. Pandemics, such as COVID-19 and Influenza (H1N1), are global outbreaks affecting many countries. Endemic outbreaks, he said, are a constant presence of diseases in specific regions, like malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, while sporadic outbreaks are isolated cases such as rabies occurring irregularly with no predictable pattern.
He encouraged journalists to approach credible scientists, doctors, and epidemiologists in their news reports instead of influencers or unqualified sources. Mr. Maxwell Kudekor, Eastern Regional President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), expressed gratitude to the Regional Health Directorate for their support. He encouraged information providers in departments, institutions, and organizations to promptly assist journalists by delivering accurate information, ensuring consistency in public dissemination.
