The full presentation is reproduced below.
![]()
| Click here [1] to download a Power Point Presentation of this document. |
![]()
The Polio Eradication Initiative
Goals:
The Mid-Year Meeting on communication for PE, June 2001
Objectives
Focus of the Mid-Year Meeting: “Reaching the unreached child”
Epidemiological update on PEI implementation:
Lessons learned from a communication perspective
Accessing hard-to-reach
Identify & understand reasons
~ Conduct rapid assessments to answer questions such as WHO is not coming, WHY are they not coming, WHERE are they located
Involve community leaders from unreached communities & build ongoing relationships with religious leaders, medical staff, media & other social groups
~ Involve them in research process
~ Involve them in decision making process
~ Motivate them to motivate others in community
Focus on service-providers
~ Bear in mind gender, religion and ethnicity of those approaching caretakers
~ Train service providers in basic IPC skills
Remind them to:
Reach hard-to-reach through their own communication channels
~ Identify com. channels:mass, group, one/one
~ Involve community to determine tone & appeal (what can motivate others)
~ Timely disseminate consistent information to targeted audiences
~ Let community conduct monitoring & assessment of effectiveness of messages
Dealing efficiently with rumours
~ Identify source & understand reasons
~ Give immediate & ongoing response using all possible channels:media, church, mosque, youth association, community assembly…
~ Advocate & build alliances with opinion leaders & those responsible for rumours and misconceptions (personal visits, invitations to official NIDs launching, lobby by influential persons of community…)
~Educate media people on polio issues, in order to demystify the sensationalism that misinformation can create
Communication strategies in conflict countries
Days of tranquillity are not always reliable, therefore it is recommended:
~ To work with permanent staff who live in targeted areas
~ To build up relationships with NGOs having access
~ To establish working relationship with all warring factions leaders
~ To give credit to those who helped in facilitating access
Cross-border / synchronised NIDs
Improve communication & co-operation between partners across borders by:
~Avoiding large number of overlapping meetings
~ Conducting local assessment for a better knowledge of targeted cross-border areas / population / their communication channels
~ Assessing opportunities/weaknesses in common communication activities
~ Stimulating EPI & communication teams to work closely together during all phases of synchronised NIDs
Micro planning
Community-based approach will stimulate community participation and ownership
Provide training in how to do micro planning at all levels
Training in map reading and interpretation should be provided to identified staff and service providers
Social mobilisation & comm. interventions need to be integrated within microplans
Specific social mobilisation activities have to be put in place for the hard-to-reach
Social mobilisation cannot overcome shortfall in effective micro planning, supervision and monitoring
Dealing with polio outbreaks
Avoid rumours
Information sent to media and public should be continuos, straigthforward and regularly updated
Build alliances
~ With community and religious leaders (personal visits, invitations to official NIDs launching, lobby by influential persons of community)
~ Organise workhops with media, medical staff, community leaders to strengthen commitment and ownership
Monitor communication activities and integrate findings in workplan
Maintain high routine immunisation coverage
Maintain high AFP surveillance levels and OPV coverage
Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (VDPV) is of concern
~ Avoid misinformation through educating selected & influential journalists to cover polio issues
~ Alliance building through continued and straigthforward information
~ Openness recommended concerning weather stopping immunisation after polio eradication or not / Unified standpoint of polio partners is needed
Community based surveillance
Surveillance needs to be done at household and community level
~ Obtain commitment of the government health team
~ Obtain commitment of volunteers linked to community participation
~ Build a positive relationship between health team and volunteers
~Focus on quality and quantity of the training of volunteers
~A code of conduct for surveillance officers is needed to be fully implemented in all countries, using data and holding them accountable for working with communities
~ Involve traditional healers
~ Integrate within surveillance system other occurrences/diseases relevant to communities
~ Regular supervision necessary
~ System of rewards is recommended
~ Particular attention is needed not to miss AFP cases in pre-walking children
Monitoring communication interventions: indicators & meth.
Develop more effective communication materials and social mobilisation methods on the basis of solid and participatory research
Develop client-friendly approach
Outline the importance of service providers in building fruitful interpersonal relationship with caretakers to promote vaccination
Integrate at least three of the following indicators within NIDs planning and review, in order to measure process & impact of communication interventions:
Polio, Immunisation plus/ GAVI linkage and integration communication implications at regional and country level
Avoid fragmentation through closer integration between GAVI. EPI and polio eradication
Integrate a strategic and participatory communication approach within GAVI
Share lessons learned, tools and outcomes with partners
For more information contact: Thilly De Bodt - tdebodt@unicef.org [2]
How useful did you find the knowledge and contacts on this page to your work?
Links:
[1] http://www.comminit.com/power_point_downloads/UNICEF_lessons_learned_polio_harare.ppt
[2] mailto:tdebodt@unicef.org