Involvement of Community Health Practitioners in Infectious Disease Prevention and Control in Nigeria: A Scoping Review
Paul Hassan Ilegbusi*, Abimbola Morolayo Olusuyi, Omowumi Oluwabukola Okeya, Cecilia Solape Dunapo, Esther Olunfunke Ademola, Bintu Omolayo Olatise, Ehimwenma Gloria Obayangbon, Victor Uyi Omorogbe, Latifat Olamide Adegoke, Oludayo Dorcas Adesina and Mojisola Clementina Ogundare
ABSTRACT
Community Health Practitioners [CHPs] play a critical role in Nigeria's primary healthcare system, serving as frontline workers in infectious disease prevention and control. Despite their importance, a comprehensive synthesis of their roles, the diseases they address, and the challenges they face remains limited. The aim of this review is to map and synthesize available evidence on the roles of Community Health Practitioners in infectious disease prevention and control in Nigeria. This scoping review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews [PRISMA-ScR] 2020 guidelines and the Joanna Briggs Institute [JBI] methodology. The protocol was formally registered on the Open Science Framework [OSF]. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, SciSpace, African Journals Online [AJOL], WHO reports, and Nigerian Ministry of Health publications. Studies published up to December 2025 that examined CHPs' involvement in infectious disease
prevention and control in Nigeria were included. Data were extracted on CHP roles, infectious diseases addressed, challenges faced, and gaps in the literature. A total of 93 unique studies were identified and screened, with 30 studies meeting the inclusion criteria for detailed analysis. CHPs performed diverse roles, including disease surveillance and notification, case detection and diagnosis, treatment, health education and community mobilization, immunization services, outbreak response, and infection prevention and control. The most frequently addressed infectious diseases were malaria [n=15], COVID-19 [n=10], vaccine-preventable diseases including measles, polio, and meningitis [n=8], and other diseases such as Lassa fever, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, and pneumonia. Major challenges included inadequate training and knowledge gaps [n=12], resource and infrastructure limitations [n=10], poor remuneration and lack of incentives [n=7], inadequate supervision and administrative support [n=6], and community acceptance
issues [n=4]. Conclusively, CHPs are integral to infectious disease prevention and control in Nigeria, performing multifaceted roles across diverse disease contexts. However, significant systemic challenges, including inadequate training, resource constraints, and poor remuneration, limit their effectiveness. Strengthening CHP capacity through enhanced training, improved resource allocation, better remuneration, and robust supervision systems is essential for optimizing their contribution to infectious disease control and achieving universal health coverage in Nigeria.
