Stakeholders in Bauchi State have called for intensified advocacy on early antenatal care (ANC), especially in the first trimester, to improve maternal and child health outcomes in local communities.

The call was made during the Community Advisory Board (CAB) quarterly meeting of the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS), held at the College of Medical Sciences, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, on Saturday.

The meeting, themed “Encouraging Pregnant Women to Attend Antenatal and Enrol on CHAMPS Pregnancy Surveillance During First Trimester,” also focused on managing rumours affecting the project in communities.

Mohammed Baba-Gidado, district head of Ganjuwa, emphasised the need for ongoing sensitisation of women to early ANC attendance and timely enrolment into CHAMPS pregnancy surveillance programmes.

He urged communities to ignore rumours and misinformation surrounding antenatal services, stressing that such narratives hindered progress in reducing maternal and child mortality.

Jamilu Yaya, CHAMPS lead for community engagement, warned that unchecked rumours led to mistrust, wasted resources, stigma, and even reversed progress on key health policies.

He suggested proactive measures, including clear communication, media literacy, community leader involvement, and robust fact-checking, to address misinformation and rebuild public trust in maternal health programmes.

Lamara Dattijo, co-principal investigator at CHAMPS, reaffirmed the project’s commitment to transparency and collaboration, adding that community engagement remained central to the initiative’s long-term success.

“Our mission is to better understand causes of child mortality and use that insight to prevent future deaths. We cannot succeed without support from local communities,” he said.

He noted that community leaders played a vital role in mobilising participation and building confidence around health interventions, such as ANC and CHAMPS surveillance programmes, in rural areas.

The meeting brought together traditional rulers, health experts, and community representatives, who pledged to work together to promote early antenatal attendance and combat harmful rumours surrounding health initiatives.

(NAN)