By Ahmed Ahmed
The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) Project of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University’s College of Medical Sciences has launched a sensitisation drive in Bayara community, Bauchi Local Government Area.
The sensitisation was aimed at raising awareness on Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling (MITS) and its role in preventing child mortality. The campaign targeted women and families, emphasizing how better data on causes of death can strengthen healthcare policies and interventions for children under five.
Speaking for Principal Investigator of the CHAMPS Project,Dr. Muhammad Faruk Bashir, Dr. Magaji Dafi noted that under-5 deaths remain a serious concern in the region. He said the outreach was designed to explain MITS and to stress the importance of antenatal care, skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth, and complete routine immunisation as critical steps to reduce maternal and child deaths.
Community and health leaders echoed the message. The District Head of Miri and Chairman of the Community Advisory Board, Alhaji Hussaini Othman, urged pregnant women and nursing mothers to attend ANC and ensure full immunisation for their children. WHO representative Dr. Ummulkulshum Musa and Dr. Kalthumi Suhaibu of the Medical Women Association of Nigeria also reinforced the call for regular ANC attendance.
Explaining the science behind the campaign, ATBUTH Pediatrician Dr. Aisha Zaidu described MITS as a post-mortem procedure using needle biopsies of key organs like the lungs, liver, and brain to determine cause of death. She noted it is a practical alternative to conventional autopsy in low-resource settings and helps improve mortality surveillance and detection of infectious diseases.
Dr. Jamilu Yaya, who leads community engagement for CHAMPS, added that MITS is central to CHAMPS studies on stillbirths, neonatal and child deaths, providing accurate data to guide evidence-based public health interventions. He encouraged families to consent to the procedure when medically necessary.
(Featured picture used for illustrative purposes only)
