Cardiovascular Diseases: Enugu govt calls for sustained advocacy against trans-fatty acids

Enugu State government on Saturday urged journalists and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to sustain current advocacy against trans-fatty acids to check rising cardiovascular diseases.

The state Commissioner for Health, Ikechukwu Obi, made the call while addressing a journalism training session on trans-fat reporting organised by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), a CSO.

Trans-fatty acids, also called trans-unsaturated fatty acids, are a type of unsaturated fat that naturally occurs in small amounts in meat and milk fat.

Mr Obi noted that journalists were critical stakeholders in health education and awareness and charged them to ensure they give factual and understandable health information that would benefit the public.

He said journalists should not allow medical professionals to dazzle them with health terminologies but always ask the medical professionals to break down their technical jargon for easy comprehension.

“Journalists should try as much as possible to simplify medical terms for clear understanding by the layman.

“Accurate information passed in an easily understandable language will ensure that misconceptions and misinterpretation are checked in health reporting,’’ he said.

The commissioner also said that Nigerians have to be mindful of what they eat and check fatty and oily intakes to stem the tide of cardiovascular diseases.

Mr Obi lauded NAFDAC for producing a draft regulation to check the use and consumption of industrial TFAs.

He assured journalists and other stakeholders in the fight against TFAs of the government’s collaboration to ensure that “we conquer, as we have done in Ebola, Polio and other diseases’’.

(NAN)