1.1 Introduction
Monkey pox is transmitted through blood, vomit, and sweat of an infected victim. Symptoms include high fever and diarrhoea. Health scholars noted that most effective measure in preventing the spread of the disease is through strategic public health mandates, such good infection control practices include isolation, quarantine, contract tracking, provision of health staff protective gear, government monitoring and media sensitization. Media public awareness campaigns become very pertinent because Nigerians, being used to culture of hugging, handshakes, elaborate family greetings, clustered tenements, close-quarter worships, perceive monkey pox, like Ebola as instant death sentence.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
The fear and death posed to Nigerians by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), in the months of July to December 2014, will remain indelible in the annals of Nigerian history. Throughout the West Africa region, particularly from Liberia, the Ebola scourge left in its wake thousands of death. With all the stunning casualties associated with the HIV/AIDS, Ebola’s ravaging pandemic destructive tendencies of Nigerians’ psychic, human development and the economy temporally made the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents seem forgotten scallywags. Then, more than 22 countries revoked visas granted to Nigerians, cancelled business memoranda, international travel bans, not only were the health of Nigerian citizens in jeopardy, the economy faced disintegration and national development stagnated.
The endemic disease, monkey pox, though strange to Nigerians; however, in September 2017 became new natural occurrence in Nigeria which erupted with destructive force. The ferocious outbreak of the monkey pox, like epidemic catastrophe or devastative thunder bolt caught Nigerians unaware. Unlike meteorite, monkey pox did not fall from the sky, out of nowhere; it started in central part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970’s. The first recorded case of the dreaded disease in Nigeria was through a man who killed a monkey and ate the meat with members of his family in Bayelsa state. This became the primary or index case before infecting others. Like harmattan wild fire, monkey pox spread to Anambra, particularly the capital city of the state, Akwa in the South-Eastern geo-political zone, Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State in the South-South geo-political zone. Besides a patient who committed suicide, luckily no confirmed death has been reported; however, the havoc and pandemonium created by monkey pox which is still raging as the time of this research are certain to leave indelible marks in the annals of Nigeria’s public health.
In some regions in south eastern states, like Anambra state, Akwa and its environs to be precise rumours were rife with soldiers forcing their way into primary and secondary schools to forcefully inoculate children with monkey pox vaccination. The fear of sinister motives and lack of initial proper sensitization created state of fear and stampede when parents broke down school gates and scaled to withdraw their wards, Vanguard (Wednesday, October 18, 2017).
The increasing demand and objectives of healthy living, longevity highlight and illustrate the importance of effective public health communication. Relevance of which can never be over emphasized considering that virtually every knowledge, solution to human health, well-being, including disease prevention, affordable health care, clamour for universal health insurance, rural community health programs, antenatal /infant health concerns, health promotion, quality of life and new discoveries depend on effective media dissemination of health information. The dreadful experience of the Ebola scourge and now the monkey pox virus have sharpened any blurred vision of Nigeria’s public health officials, joining global community in seeking competencies, proFeesional capacity building, and acquisition of latest information to effectively quell outbreaks of deadly contagious diseases. The clamour and prominence for public health information orchestrated by the monkey pox virus seem urgent because of contemporaneous vital public health, national development implications and imperatives. Obviously, no nation of sick citizens could muster any meaningful development when such ravaging plague as monkey pox can jeopardize national security.
The need to create composite public relations to sensitize, inform, educate, mobilize citizens of preventable measures to evade the spread of deadly plagues as monkey pox, require professional journalistic devotion, serious commitment, investigative journalism commitment, humanitarian sensitivity in reporting public health. Besides the creation of media awareness of public health consciousness and preventive measures, the prerogative of public health communication is crucial in compelling the public to come to terms to the realities, dangers, demerits of careless unsanitary, slum dwelling and potential benefits of clean, curative, healthy existence. Since communication is the pivotal, rallying point and hollering centre-piece in championing effective public health communication, excellent health communication strategies should evolve in the realm creating maximum good health benefits in the society; cheating death to prolong human life.
Despite the efforts of environmental, social and psychological influences on behaviour and health, global challenges posed by contagious diseases, health communication scholars and practitioners recognize the importance of prevention in health care systems. The need to understand health-conscious human behaviour, perceptions, social norms, emotions and fear of uncertainty in health issues through competent public health relations awareness is the focus of this qualitative discourse.
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to assess the role of print media's awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that after passing through horrendous deaths and fear of extinction during the 2014 Ebola plague, Nigerians are shocked that in October 2017, they are faced with another deadly virus by the name Monkey Pox. To compound, incite national fear and anxiety, some people (saboteurs) utilized the social media as Facebook, Instagram, whatsapp as rumour mongering tool to demoralize the populace; that soldiers were forcefully vaccinating school children against monkey box.
In chaotic droves, parents scampered through fences, broke school gates to evacuate their children from various schools, forcing temporal closure of several primary and secondary schools. This chaotic scenario depict lack of sensitivity, sensualisation, creation of appropriate public relations awareness by the government, particularly at a time when government soldiers recently killed some Igbos in the South-East and proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and thereafter launched a medical outreach. The implication is the existence of communication gap between the government and the masses. It is on this foundation that this study seeks to assess the role of print media's awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to assess the role of print media's awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To find out the dominant frame used by Nigerian newspapers in their coverage of the monkey-pox outbreak.
- To identify the genre of stories on monkey-pox disease outbreak in Nigeria.
- To examine the prominence given to the news stories on monkey-pox outbreak in Nigeria.
- To ascertain the kind of frames newspapers used in their coverage of the monkey pox outbreak in Nigeria.
- To find out the influence of such frames on the perception of media audience in Akwa, Anambra state.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the dominant frame used by Nigerian newspapers in their coverage of the monkey-pox outbreak?
- What is the kind of frames newspapers used in their coverage of the monkey pox outbreak in Nigeria?
- What is the genre of stories on monkey-pox disease outbreak in Nigeria?
- What is the prominence given to the news stories on monkey-pox outbreak in Nigeria?
- What the influence of such frames on the perception of media audience in Akwa, Anambra state?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant role carried out by print media towards the awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria
- H1: There is a significant role carried out by print media towards the awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria
1.7 Significance of Study
The study will be beneficial to both the Federal and State government in finding preventive solutions to any epidemic disease that may suddenly surface in the country. Also, the Ministry of Health, Environment and Education will find this study helpful. It will as well contribute to academic literature in the area of Public Health and Public Administration.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the assessment of the role of print media's awareness campaign of monkey pox in Nigeria.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Monkey Pox: Is highly contagious and transmitted through blood, vomit, and sweat of an infected victim. Its primary index infestation is from infected monkeys to humans. Symptoms include high fever, diarrhoea and similar but bigger bumps than chicken pox.
Public Relations: Is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. It includes reportage from several print and media houses in the country.
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