From Listening to Communities to Driving Action: SRHIN Hosts CommunACT Mpox Dissemination Conference - Slum and Rural Health Initiative - Non-Profit Organization
August 06, 2026 From Listening to Communities to Driving Action: SRHIN Hosts CommunACT Mpox Dissemination Conference Oluwadara Asaolu, SRHIN When Mpox re-emerged as a global public health concern, much of the conversation focused on case numbers, clinical management, and outbreak response. Yet beneath these headlines lay equally important questions: How do communities perceive Mpox? What
When Mpox re-emerged as a global public health concern, much of the conversation focused on case numbers, clinical management, and outbreak response. Yet beneath these headlines lay equally important questions: How do communities perceive Mpox? What influences whether people seek care? And what barriers prevent them from accessing timely health services?Answering these questions requires more than epidemiological data. It demands listening to communities, understanding their lived experiences, and ensuring that their voices inform public health policies and interventions. To generate this evidence, the Slum and Rural Health Initiative (SRHIN), in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST), conducted an ethnographic study titled“Understanding Community Perceptions of Mpox Risk and Severity, and Barriers to the Uptake of Health Care. ” The study explored how communities understand Mpox, the factors influencing healthcare-seeking behaviour, and the social and structural barriers that shape access to care. To share these findings and ensure they inform action, SRHIN hosted the Mpox Project Virtual Dissemination Conference on the 4th of August, 2026, bringing together researchers, representatives from the federal ministry of health, community representatives, citizen ethnographers, healthcare professionals, and project partners. The conference provided a platform to present the study findings, validate recommendations with the communities and stakeholders who contributed to the research, and collectively identify practical, community-centred strategies for strengthening Mpox preparedness and response in Nigeria. The conference was moderated by Dr. Oluwadara Asaolu, the director of community impact at SRHIN, who guided participants through an engaging programme that combined research presentations, expert discussions, breakout sessions, and interactive polling. Opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Isaac Olufadewa, the executive director of SRHIN, who reflected on SRHIN’s growing work in Mpox research and the value of its collaboration with LSHTM, while Professor Shelley Lees shared reflections on the research journey and methodology that informed the study. A major highlight of the event was the presentation of the study findings by Dr. Oluwadara Asaolu and Dr. Yang Zhao, who shared important insights into how communities perceive Mpox, the misconceptions surrounding the disease, and the barriers preventing timely healthcare seeking. Their presentations reinforced a critical message: strengthening Mpox preparedness requires more than clinical interventions, it requires building trust, improving risk communication, and designing responses that reflect community realities. The discussions continued with a multidisciplinary panel featuring Dr. Yang Zhao, Dr. Moyinoluwa Oladoye, and Mr. Justice Iyawa of the Federal Ministry of Health. Drawing on perspectives from research, academia, and government, the panel explored why barriers such as stigma, cost, access to healthcare, and mistrust persist, while identifying practical opportunities for improving community engagement and strengthening health systems. Participants also engaged in thematic breakout sessions where they reflected on the study findings and co-developed practical recommendations around stigma reduction, trust-building, and improving access to healthcare. For SRHIN, the dissemination conference represented more than the close of a research project. It reaffirmed our commitment to ensuring that research findings are returned to the communities that made them possible and translated into practical action. By bringing together researchers, policymakers, and community members, the conference demonstrated the power of collaboration in shaping more responsive, inclusive, and evidence-informed public health interventions. As infectious disease threats continue to evolve, initiatives like the Mpox Project remind us that resilient health systems are built not only through scientific evidence but also through meaningful community engagement. At SRHIN, we remain committed to ensuring that research does not end with publication, it continues by informing policies, strengthening communities, and improving health outcomes for those who need them most.