This article details an approach developed in Myanmar by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to equip frontline communicators with skills in disseminating avian influenza messages to families and community members. This approach is part of a larger strategy for addressing a perceived lack of public awareness: According to a 2006 study on poultry rearing and other practices pertaining to avian influenza, 65% of respondents in Myanmar lacked access to information about the disease and how to prevent it.

To fill this knowledge gap, UNICEF worked with the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, the Ministry of Health, and local authorities to offer a 3-day training session for more than 60 health and livestock professionals in Shan State. Participants - who may have had technical knowledge about avian influenza but did not have expertise in communications - learned how to implement an avian flu communication workplan. Active group discussion and role playing were key techniques used to bolster communication skills.

Following the training, an awareness-raising presentation on prevention of avian and pandemic influenza was held in a wetland wildlife sanctuary located on a major north-south migration path for birds. More than 400 people attended the public talk. Posters in local ethnic languages, pamphlets, booklets for children, and television and radio spots have also been produced and distributed to help prevent bird flu in Myanmar.

UNICEF Myanmar website; and email from Aye Aye Than to The Communication Initiative on November 13 2008.