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This issue of the Drum Beat is part of an ongoing series that highlights current means of addressing and assessing global polio eradication efforts through communication. The challenge of eradicating polio highlights many of the overall strengths, opportunities, and difficulties for effective development communication; for that reason we have provided regular insights from polio-focused practitioners and researchers. These India-focused strategic thinking, evaluation, and support resources below were added to The Communication Initiative website over the past two months; they include summaries of presentations from the most recent polio advisory group meeting held in New Delhi.
We welcome information about your polio-related activities, materials, thinking pieces, and evaluations. Send details to Deborah Heimann at dheimann@comminit.com
To join The Communication Initiative's online polio discussion forum please contact Kiyuri Naicker at knaicker@comminit.com
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Please see The CI's Immunisation, Vaccines and Polio Window providing a specific focus on the information related to immunisations, vaccines and polio on The CI website.
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To provide a brief context of poliovirus case trends in India over recent decades, we have included the following data obtained from the National Polio Surveillance Project in India and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These data reflect a decrease in disease burden of over 99% since the commencement of a significant polio eradication initiative in India.
Prior to 1978 - Between 100,000 - 400,000 cases of polio reported on average each year.
1988 - 24,257 cases
1994 - 4,052 cases
1998 - 1,934 cases
1999 - 1,126 cases
2000 - 265 cases
2001 - 268 cases
2002 - 1,600 cases (outbreak year)
2003 - 225 cases
2004 - 134 cases
2005 - 66 cases
2006 - 674 cases (outbreak year)
2007 - 60 cases
* All data as of June 1st 2007.
Also see:
The World Health Organization: The Case for Completing Polio Eradication [PDF]
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1. Trainer's Toolkit: Resources to Build Interpersonal Communication Skills
This United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) package was developed specifically for frontline communication workers in the polio endemic Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It contains 9 resources, including: a social or resource map, booth mobilisation plan, field book, field guide, flip book, basic training module, training module on interpersonal communication (IPC) skills and key messages, "Healthy People" booklet, and "Facts for Life" booklet. These resources are all designed for use by people with a basic education, and are available through the UNICEF India office in New Delhi.
2. Breakthrough in Meerut - Reducing Resistance, Increasing Community Participation
This article is from the March 2007 edition of the India Communication Update, which is produced monthly by UNICEF India in consultation with partners and is circulated by email. Meerut is a particularly high-risk sub-region of Uttar Pradesh, one of the few polio endemic states left in India. Described here are a number of innovations that were introduced to stimulate wider community participation in the polio programme. As a result of these strategies, Meerut has seen the lowest number of resistant households in several years. The success of these initiatives is seen as the result of an open and ongoing dialogue between the district administration and polio partners within these underserved communities.
3. Findings of Media Study on Reach and Recall of the Pulse Polio Campaign
Also from the March 2007 edition of the India Communication Update, this article describes the results of a recent UNICEF-commissioned reach and recall study undertaken by the Social and Rural Research Institute to determine the success of India's television campaign for polio eradication. It was found that the campaign is effective in reaching its core audience in endemic areas, and that it is positively impacting immunisation behaviour, due in large part to the engagement of popular television celebrity Amitabh Bachchan within the programme.
4. Jokes Apart
by Swatee Kher
From the Mumbai Newsline, this article describes how the use of a clown is helping with polio immunisation drives in India. For 3 years, Mahachanda Jha (popularly called the "polio joker" in Malad) has been hired by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to attract children to the polio booths during polio immunisation drives. He creates various dialogues and songs about polio and travels around spreading the message at schools, churches, mosques, temples, and railway stations. He has been particularly successful in slums and high-risk areas, and has great recall value amongst the people.
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Presentations from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meeting, March 27-28 2007 in New Delhi, India
Hosted by the UNICEF India office in Delhi, this meeting brought together a variety of partner organisations and stakeholders involved in polio communication in India. It included a series of presentations that outlined the recent epidemiological trends of wild poliovirus, the National Rural Health Mission, and the mass media approach - all at a national level. State-specific presentations were given by communication practitioners working in the 2 high-risk Indian states - Uttar Pradesh and Bihar - in the areas of social mobilisation, strategies for the underserved, media engagement, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and information, education, and communication (IEC). Please click here for a list of all of the summaries from and links to the full presentations from this meeting.
For presentations from other TAG meetings, please see:
5. Polio Eradication in India - Epidemiology Overview
This WHO presentation details the epidemiological history and trends of wild poliovirus (WPV) in India. Special attention was given to illustrating the current situation in context of the recent history of immunisation activities in the country. Factors contributing to persistent disease in Northern India, and their repercussions as far as eradication is concerned, were explored. Polio outbreak trends were also detailed. The year 2007 was described as presenting the best opportunity yet to interrupt WPV transmission, based on higher natural population immunity due to the recent 2006 outbreak and increased public awareness. Future steps to ensure successful interruption were also detailed.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Dr. Jay Wenger, WHO, wengerj@npsuindia.org
6. National Rural Health Mission - Polio Communication TAG Meeting
This presentation provides an overview of the partnership between the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the polio communication campaign, and outlines their key areas of focus. By utilising a combination of mass media, multi-media and IEC tools to ensure focused content delivery and an enabling environment for social mobilisation and health providers, the NHRM has made measurable progress toward meeting the proposed Geneva milestones for polio eradication by the end of 2008. The results of 2 qualitative studies regarding community perception, commissioned by the NHRM, were also discussed. Finally, the upcoming focus for the communication strategy for the remainder of 2007 was detailed.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Chaitanya Prasad, Government of India, chatty111@hotmail.com
7. Social Mobilization for Polio Eradication - Uttar Pradesh 2006-2007
This presentation looked specifically at the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), one of the 2 endemic states currently struggling to improve polio immunisation coverage in India. It provided an overview of: key strategies for engaging communities in high-risk districts, innovations in tracking the immunisation status of children, training and monitoring modalities for polio communication workers, and outcomes in terms of maximising family/community participation in response to the accelerated supplementary immunisation activity (SIA) schedule. The role of the Government of Uttar Pradesh in supporting polio communication efforts was discussed, followed by a detailed description of the role of community mobilisation coordinators (CMCs).
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Roma Solomon, Core Group Polio Eradication Initiative (CORE), corepolio@vsnl.net
8. Underserved Strategy for Polio Eradication - Uttar Pradesh
This presentation also focused on the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and outlined key strategies for engaging networks, groups, associations, and individuals from underserved communities. Many of these strategies focus on advocacy, such as by leveraging influencers within the minority Muslim community. Monitoring structures and outcome data relating to the underserved strategy reveal over 1,000 cross-sectoral teams involved in this process. Major areas for improvement within the strategy involve increasing the level of reliability and motivation by those influencers who claim to be committed to UP's polio campaign.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Nasir Ateeq, UNICEF India, nateeq@unicef.org
9. IEC and Media Engagement - Uttar Pradesh
This presentation identified innovations and approaches to IEC materials supporting polio eradication and wider child health development issues, and provided a context for the expansion of the polio eradication message base over the last few years. An explanation was given for the distribution of IEC materials to 3 distinct groups within the intended audience, and the reach and effectiveness of these materials was discussed. Some of the key challenges surrounding media engagement were presented, including decreasing the number of polio stories with negative content and increasing the accuracy and validity of reporting. Steps have been taken to address these issues, but challenges related to sustaining support and ensuring constructive media interest remain.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Mr. Naysan Sahba, UNICEF India, nsahba@unicef.org
10. The Last Lap - Strategy for Polio Eradication in Bihar
This presentation explored strategies for improving polio communication in Bihar, one of the two polio endemic states in India. The Government of Bihar has initiated a number of specific activities, including district- and state-level video conferencing between key communicators within the programme. As a result of the 2006 polio outbreak and subsequent highly effective immunisation rounds, the state is seen as well-positioned to achieve eradication in the upcoming year. Bihar's epidemiological data and poliovirus history were examined, including a detailed look at monitoring and evaluation data. Upcoming challenges facing the state include accelerated immunisation rounds, negative media reporting and hard-to-reach communities.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full document in PDF format.
Contact Mr. Bijaya Rajbhandari, UNICEF India, brajbhandari@unicef.org
11. Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Polio Eradication - Bihar
This presentation gave an overview of the history and purpose of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and services offered through Anganwadi workers (AWWs). As explained here, the ICDS planned expansion process for 2007 is expected to increase the state area coverage to 100%. The strengths of AWWs in support of immunisation and community mobilisation and their strong roles within polio teams were also described. The presentation concluded with a look at the overall contribution of ICDS in polio eradication and an examination of areas for future improvements within the ICDS system, such as enhanced monitoring and training strategies.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Alice Pope, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), apope@unicef.org
12. Mass Media [As a Polio Communication Strategy]
This presentation gave an overview of mass media activities for polio communication in India at a national level. The rationale and approach behind the current media strategy centres on calls to action and date notification, which are directed toward the general public. Research surrounding the effectiveness of the mass media campaign has focused on 10 districts in Uttar Pradesh and all districts in Delhi. An active campaign to engage proactively with the media has yielded higher reach, booth compliance, and message recall, despite a persistence of negative media stories. Future considerations for India's mass media campaign include development of a quarterly plan of action and linking more closely with advocacy initiatives.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Gitanjali Chaturvedi, UNICEF India, gchaturvedi@unicef.org
13. Polio Communication - the Vital Drop: Recommendations Report
This presentation constitutes the TAG's response to the above presentations, beginning with their overall assessment of the polio communication programme in India. This programme was seen to be quite sophisticated, extensive and effective in its reach. The TAG moved on to provide specific recommendations in the areas of organisation, community communication, messaging and media. The following strategies were emphasised: strengthening efforts to relate epidemiological data to communication data and trends, placing a higher emphasis on communication and negotiation training for frontline workers, and establishing a formal media/journalist network.
Click here for a summary.
Click here for the full presentation in PDF format.
Contact Kiyuri Naicker, The Communication Initiative, knaicker@comminit.com
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For archived issues of The Drum Beat focused on immunisation and vaccines, please see:
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DISCUSSION
"Non-Material" Resources in Health and Development Communication
The Health e Communication website is hosting a discussion with Dr. Benjamin Lozare (Associate Director, Center for Communication Programs, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University) which began on June 4 2007.
Nobel Prize winner Robert Fogel argues that inequality in the distribution of "non-material" resources such as vision of opportunity and work ethic is more severe and profound than the inequality of "material" resources. Drawing on these insights, Dr. Lozare asks whether health and development communication should focus more on the development of "non-material" and "spiritual" resources.
Join this Health e Communication discussion, as we explore the importance of "non-material" resources for development, ask why this is a neglected area, and exchange ideas about how health communicators can nurture and harness this important resource more effectively. click here for the archives of contributions thus far.
To register for this discussion click here and follow the instructions for registering to a forum.
Please note: if you are already registered to The CI forums, simply sign in using your CI Forums username and password, Edit your Profile, and click on the "Non-Material" Resources in Health and Development Communication Discussion to request participation from the moderators.
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This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kiyuri Naicker, Coordinator, Routine and Polio Communication Initiative, The Communication Initiative.
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