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Community Engagement during disease outbreak
Social, medical and political are three aspects that are intimately
intertwined with disease outbreaks. We are seeing and witnessing social media
impact, political response and medical aspects of the current COVID-19
outbreak. To address the social aspects of epidemics, we need community
engagement. To contain the disease, we need public health interventions and to
achieve that we need community support. This is possible by three elements
(WHO):
1. Establishing a dialogue between responders and
communities to understand the perceptions and beliefs on both sides, to
identify the specific cultural and social patterns of transmission that exist
at community level.
2. Building trust through this mutual understanding to find joint solutions to reduce transmission.
3. Empowering communities, providing them with necessary medical and other supplies to implement the measures required to stop the disease, and progressively transferring knowledge for sustained and safe interventions within the community.
Healthcare workers and volunteers are often are the
frontline responders and face of the outbreak of the community. Their attitude
and advice have significant influence on how community members might perceive,
accept or reject their advice.
Key points of health action in epidemics that require
intensive engagement of communities (affected populations as well as health care
workers and frontline responders themselves) include (WHO):
1. Detecting an outbreak and detection of newly infected people (case detection and tracing)
2. Minimizing harmful practices (at individual and community levels) that can increase susceptibility and exposure; and adopting protective practices (medical and nonmedical)
3. Seeking and providing health care as advised (in the
household, community and health facility)
4. Re-integrating of survivors back into the community and
to minimizing stigma.
5. Identifying and managing misinformation and rumors.
Ten things community must know about a outbreak -According to WHO there are ten critical things every
community member should be aware of when it comes to disease outbreak. First
three points are:
1. Disease outbreaks affect the social fabric of communities. A community is a social network, and infectious diseases outbreaks are deeply linked to the social life, the structure of society and people’s interactions. They spread through personal and social contacts and links at home or during professional and recreational activities.
2. Communities are the main actors in preventing,
identifying, responding and recovering from the physical, psychological, social
and economic impacts of epidemics. Communities are not passive subjects of
interventions.
3. Epidemics are by nature rapidly evolving. The time pressure is particularly challenging for community engagement. The beginning of the outbreak is a crucial time to build the necessary trust with the population who can break the transmission cycle. Any outbreak response that builds on existing and trusted community engagement systems and work with trusted individuals and interlocutors are more likely to succeed.
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Main article: https://healthylife.werindia.com/your-road-to-healthy-life/community-communication-and-covid-19-outbreak
Fourth, fifth and sixth key points that community should be
aware of disease outbreak are:
4. Community understanding of diseases and their spread is
complex, context-dependent and culturally mediated. Thus, a one-size fits-all
approach is neither desirable nor effective.
5. Communities are multi-layered, and power dynamics exist between individuals, groups and networks. Social scientists can help analyze these dynamics and work with specialists in health education, health promotion and local communities. There are simple tools that can assess relevant perceptions and beliefs for any outbreak’s response. Together they can design the messages and interventions necessary to raise awareness and adapt or change behaviors to meet the demands of a new infection. Embedding social scientists in response teams will also help to monitor how people adapt public health measures to different social contexts, and whether these are implemented in a way that respects social and cultural systems.
6. Community engagement helps to strengthen and ensure resilience to future outbreaks: when people have already learned how to implement their own solutions, they will be better able to deal with the next outbreak.
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Main article: https://healthylife.werindia.com/your-road-to-healthy-life/community-communication-and-covid-19-outbreak
Achieving proper communication methods to create awareness of outbreak
Last few points are regarding how to approach outbreak, identify, communicate to stop the fear in people. In the era of social media, internet browsing – more information is available. However, to give correct information the effective community communication is needed. This can be achieved by (WHO) stopping rumors, by building trust, informing in local language and reducing the fear of outbreak.
7. The approach and messaging directed towards each
community must evolve with the epidemic and incorporate new messages and
communication methods as it unfolds. These messages must also proactively
detect misinformation and rumors. Effective community engagement limits the
opportunities for misunderstandings and the proliferation of rumors, and it
mitigates the spread of fear and anxiety.
8. Identify people
that the community trusts and build relationships with them. Involve them in
decision-making to ensure interventions are collaborative, contextually
appropriate and that communication is community owned.
9. Two-way
communication should be achieved through the most socially acceptable and
effective channels. Messages must be “translated” into local language, local
context and to match the education levels and preferences (e.g. visual, written
or oral cultures) of the target population. All communication with communities
should be transparent, timely, easy-to-understand, acknowledge uncertainty,
address affected populations, link to self-efficacy, and be disseminated using
multiple platforms, methods and channels.
10. Disease creates fear which often leads to practices that further amplify the epidemic. These can be both individual and collective. They can relate to the transmission of the disease, or the stigma, and extreme stress on the ties that bind communities.
Ensuring effective community engagement :Following three elements are needed for communities and for
field responders.
For communities:
Knowledge: communities must know what the disease is, how it is transmitted, and how to protect against it (social mobilization messages);
Trust: it is the most important determinant to ensuring communities heed public health advice. Communities must be consulted, engaged, and whenever possible participate in identifying and implementing response measures that communities and responders want above all to treat patients and stop the epidemic;
Self-efficacy: communities must be able to implement control measures (e.g. access to soap and water, to gloves, to waste management services, to transportation, to safe burial teams, etc.)
For field responders:
Understand: Field responders need to understand the local perceptions of the disease and of the response measures;
Listen: Field responders need to listen to communities’ fears and beliefs and adapt their own behaviors accordingly;
Support: Field responders need to support communities’ participation, ownership and resilience.
Main article: https://healthylife.werindia.com/your-road-to-healthy-life/community-communication-and-covid-19-outbreak
Reference:
Managing Epidemics – Key Factors about deadly major diseases: World Health Organization Version 1 (2018)
Dolphin plank for strong arms and strong legs -Also known as Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana in sanskrit,
Dolphin plank pose is intermediate pose. It is one of the popular poses that yogis’
practice to get strong set of arms. It is a modification of regular plank of
Sun salutation and helps in focus on bringing strength together.
Dolphin plank is about strength, energy and effervescence. Practicing dolphin pose few times a week not only gives fit body also a flat tummy. It also stretches hamstrings, calves, feet arch, shoulder muscles. It is good pose for those who look forward to challenging their brain, to release stress and for those who are trying to come out from depression and anxiety.
How to perform dolphin plank pose?
Start with downward dog pose. Inhale and exhale and slowly get into regular plank on hands and knees.
Move to the elbows on the floor by placing elbows directly under your shoulder. The distance between the two elbows should be at your forearm length.
Forearms can extend straight in front of you on the floor with palms flat or you can clasp the fingers. Make sure your chest is open and shoulders are back and down.
Pull abdominal muscles tight to support your body as you get into plank pose. Keep legs together. Your entire body now is participating in the pose.
While focusing front, remember not to sag in the middle or do not let the hip/butt go high. Entire body should be in straight line. Your core should be working at this point. Check your alignment in the mirror.
Hold the pose for five breaths. Release the pose after 5 breaths and repeat 3 times to get the benefits of the pose.
After dolphin plank – you can get back to downward dog pose or child pose to release any tension in the back.
If you are a beginner for yoga, you must also be aware that
in all types of plank poses try to relieve any neck tension either by going on
knees or you can rest forehead on a block between forearms. The pose can cause
shoulder, neck, or spinal injuries and not recommended for those who have high
blood pressure, eye or ear infections.
If you are staying home during during this COVID19 outbreak, keep yourself and your family healthy with healthy food preparation. Consuming good amount of protein, cooked vegetables, vitamin C and fresh fruits are good choices for better health. While you are home, prepare lemon lentil soup recipe. It is one of the best liquid food that gives great relief for tongue and throat during viral fever. Traditionally it is known as “kattu” in southern States of India. It is an easy recipe, simple to prepare.
Wash and pressure cook toor daal and moong dal together.
Place a vessel on medium heat and add 2 cups of water. Add turmeric, green chilli and salt. Bring the water to boil.
Now add cooked lentil mix and stir the dal. Continue stirring the dal on medium heat. Add one more cup of water and adjust the salt. Bring the contents to boil. Turn the heat to low.
In a frying pan, prepare seasoning. Place the vessel on medium heat, add ghee, curry leaves, cumin, mustard, coarse pepper, grated ginger and asafetida too.
Transfer the seasoning to boiling dal and stir it for couple of more minutes.
Add chopped cilantro and turn off the heat. Allow content to settle down.
Before serving add lemon juice and serve hot lentil soup.
*You can boil one or two tomatoes, grind and add the paste to lemon lentil soup.
