PRIMARY HEALTH CARE ON THE FRONTLINE: APPRAISING IT'S INFLUENCE INCHOLERA INVESTIGATION AND CONTROL IN KABONG WARD, JOS NORTH.

Abstract

Cholera remains a significant public health challenge in Kabong Ward, Jos North LGA, Plateau State, Nigeria, necessitating an effective primary healthcare (PHC) approach for outbreak investigation and control. This study assessed the role of PHCs in cholera control, identifying key challenges and evaluating government intervention. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 150 respondents, including healthcare workers, public health officials, and community members. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to determine statistical significance between categorical variables. Results indicated that 63.3% of respondents were aware of surveillance activities and 53.3% had seen PHC workers conducting home visits, only 43.3% believed that cholera cases are detected early. It reflects gaps in timely reporting and
community-based surveillance, the majority (73.3%) of respondents confirmed the presence of PHC-led interventions during cholera outbreaks while 56.7% attended cholera awareness programs and 36.7% believed the community was actively engaged in prevention, 33.3% indicated low or no participation, the PHC education campaigns were mostly rated as “good,”
but their frequency and scope need enhancement, and the major challenges identified were inadequate logistics (reported by 90 respondents), poor funding (75), insufficient training (60), and shortage of health workers (55). Despite these constraints, 76.7% of respondents expressed belief that PHC can effectively manage future cholera outbreaks if strengthened. This finding
underscore the critical role of PHCs in cholera management but reveal gaps in infrastructure, awareness, and government support. Strengthening PHC facilities, improving water supply and sanitation, and increasing public health education are essential to enhancing cholera prevention and response. Government intervention should focus on resource allocation and
community engagement to bolster PHC effectiveness in Plateau State.