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UAE Launches National Health Education Campaign on H1N1

SHARJAH — Health educators across the country are developing a unified awareness campaign on H1N1 based on international standards.

The multilingual and multicultural National Educational Health Campaign on Novel A Influenza will target all sections of the society but will focus particularly on travellers and families of the infected people.

“We are trying to reach the maximum number of people through this campaign which was officially launched by the UAE Ministry of Health last week,” said Dr Khodr Awad, Health Education Consultant who is spearheading the campaign at the ministry. During a workshop held in Sharjah on Tuesday, the ministry gave guidelines on how to plan, implement and effective evaluate educational campaigns to 36 health educators from all medical districts. He said that through the campaign family members of the sick person will be told about the benefits of house quarantine.

“House quarantine does not mean house arrest but is a precaution to safeguard their loved ones and other people of the community,” he explained.

The expert also said that family members will be taught how to take safety precautions as per the WHO guidelines while tending to a sick person.

The ministry has already earmarked special rooms in hospitals in case the need arises to quarantine an
entire family.

“Health educators are being taught to make an effective campaign based on the Health Belief Model that focuses on the target audience,” said Dr Awad.

He said that the campaign was aimed at encouraging travellers to identify
at least five symptoms and show willingness to take personal action to
protect themselves and others
through hygiene.

The campaign will be launched in three languages – Arabic, English and Urdu — to target a wider and diverse audience in shopping malls and other public places.

“Many people are illiterate, so the campaign has to be such that it can reach them effectively,” he added.

At a later stage of the campaign, the educators will also be encouraged to collect data on the behaviour of different communities.

The ministry has already distributed 400,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters at all border points, including airports and ports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi since the onset of the disease globally nearly two months ago.

The UAE has, until now, reported five laboratory-confirmed cases while global figures stand at 52160 cases and 231 deaths in 99 countries.

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com