AFRO-NETS> The Drum Beat - 115 - Immunisations and Vaccines

[Warren Feek <wfeek@comminit.com>]

The Drum Beat - 115 - Immunisations and Vaccines
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from The Communication Initiative...global forces...local 
choices...critical voices...telling stories... 

Partners: The Rockefeller Foundation, BBC World Service Trust, The 
CHANGE Project, CIDA, The European Union, Exchange, FAO, Johns Hop-
kins University Center for Communication Programs, The Panos Insti-
tute, Soul City, The Synergy Project, UNAIDS, UNICEF, USAID, WHO.

Chair of Partners Group: Denise Gray-Felder, Rockefeller Foundation 
mailto:dgray-felder@rockfound.org

Director: Warren Feek <wfeek@comminit.com>


COMMUNICATION FOR IMMUNISATION & VACCINES

PROGRAMMES

1. Bong County - Liberia 

The County Superintendent met with a group of men, women, elders, 
tribal chiefs, politicians and health care workers to address resis-
tance against immunising children. It was decided that communication 
methods which considered peoples values, interests and traditions 
were needed if Bong County was to successfully participate in the im-
munisation drive. Drummers and singers helped people to overcome 
their objections as they spread educational information about polio 
while respected community leaders reinforced the message...

http://www.comminit.com/pdscc2001/sld-2916.html
Contact Samuel Momanyi <smomanyi@unicef.org>


2. Meningitis Vaccine Project - Africa

A project targeted to eliminate meningitis epidemics in Sub-Saharan 
Africa with the proposed development of a serogroup A meningococcal 
conjugate vaccine...Apart from the actual development of the vaccine, 
both private & public sectors of the community will be focussing on 
Africa for licensing & vaccinating through mass & routine immunisa-
tion programmes together with other public health programmes such as 
measles control initiatives...

http://www.comminit.com/pdscc2001/sld-2404.html
Contact Evan Simpson <esimpson@path.org>


3. Home Immunisation - Australia

The home immunisation programme was seen as lifting a significant 
barrier to raising poor immunisation rates in Australia. It was an 
opportunity for parents to establish communication with health work-
ers to ask questions & dissolve fears around vaccinations. Parents 
received written reminders when immunisations were due or overdue & 
were then prompted by phonecall with excellent results... 

http://www.comminit.com/pdscc2001/sld-2425.html
Contact The Health Report <seega.brigitte@abc.net.au>


4. Shabuj Chhaya - Bangladesh 

A soap opera set in a village called Shukhanpukur, focusing on the 
people who work in and visit the health facilities of the village. 
Issues dealt with include: Compulsory Immunisation for Children, Vi-
tamin A, Diarrhoea, Family Planning for newly weds, Problems of ado-
lescents, and HIV/AIDS. At the end of each episode, 3 questions are 
asked. Viewers send their answers to the soap opera address... 

http://www.comminit.com/pds02-23-99/sld-712.html
Contact Mr. Mohammad Shahjahan <bccp@citechco.net> 


5. National Immunisation - Sierra Leone

UNICEF's communication strategy starts with advocacy to the highest 
levels of state before they meet the traditional chiefs and the city 
council. Partnership and alliances are also built with civil society 
groups such as market women associations, sports clubs, farmers asso-
ciations and youth groups, NGOs and community based organisations and 
influential individuals within the respective communities...

http://www.comminit.com/pds10-2001/sld-3105.html
Contact Salieu Jalloh <sjalloh@unicef.org>


6. Expanded Programme of Immunisation - Somalia

Personal contact with Somali families was made by immunisation teams 
who went out into the villages of Bossaso, Garowe and Burtinle...and 
Hargeisa, Las Anod and Burao towns. UNICEF also conducted a 2-day EPI 
strategy review in Hargeisa "which drew 55 participants from all re-
gions of 'Somaliland', as well as all NGOs involved in the health 
sector"...

http://www.comminit.com/pdscc2001/sld-2878.html 
Contact Patrick Mwangi <pmwangi@unicef.org>


7. The Meningitis C National Immunisation Programme - Ireland

To ensure maximum uptake, the programme was supported by extensive 
public awareness activity - radio & press advertising, telephone 
helplines to answer questions from the public, and literature for 
parents and youth distributed nationwide via schools, health centres 
& GP practices...

http://www.comminit.com/pdscc2001/sld-2410.html
Contact <ohg@eircom.net>

***

Please send us descriptions of your communication activities related 
to immunisation and vaccines. We wish to strengthen this aspect of 
our work. Please email to wfeek@comminit.com

***

EVALUATION/RESEARCH

8. Providers & Consumers' perceptions - General Welfare Pratisthan - 
Nepal

Used qualitative research methods to gain insight into immunisation 
providers and consumers' perceptions and knowledge about immunisation 
injection safety and actual field practices. Hired a legal expert to 
research and document Nepali policy related to medical injections. 
Conclusions included 'general impression that providers were discour-
aged and immunisation safety was compromised because of lack of sup-
portive supervision and monitoring, lack of constructive feedback, 
and no appreciation for their hard work.' 

http://www.comminit.com/st2001/sld-3101.html
Contact Mahesh Bhattarai <gwp@ntc.net.np>


9. Life-saver - Women's savings groups & immunisation - Bangladesh 

Why do some parents decide not to immunise their children? Are deci-
sions based on health issues or social and cultural factors? Re-
searchers from the University of Southampton and the Population Coun-
cil evaluated the child vaccination programme in Bangladesh...

http://www.id21.org/health/h9fs1g4.html
Contact Fiona Steele <F.Steele@ioe.ac.uk>


STRATEGIC THINKING

10. Hepatitis B Vaccine Introduction - Lessons Learned in Advocacy, 
Communication, & Training 

Summarizes lessons learned in Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Thai-
land, and other countries. Includes: Hepatitis B can be a confusing 
subject for decision makers, providers, and the public....Evaluation 
in Indonesia and Thailand showed that mass distribution of expensive 
printed materials for parents was not cost-effective...Use every op-
portunity to educate providers about hepatitis B...

http://www.comminit.com/st2001/sld-3103.html
Contact Scott Wittet <swittet@path.org>


11. Helping Providers, Parents, & the Public: Immunisation Education 
& Communication

 From the CDC's National Immunisation Programme [USA]. Includes: Immu-
nisation Information and Education Goals...Responding to the Immuni-
sation Education Needs of Health Care Providers, Parents, & the Pub-
lic...Research Methods...Communications 'Products'...

http://www.comminit.com/st2001/sld-3104.html
Contact Glen Nowak <gjn0@cdc.gov>


TRENDS

12. Immunisation Falls in Kenya - allAfrica.com 

The Sunday Nation Correspondent reports that immunisation in Kenya, 
which has been stable for years, is declining and that the 1998 Kenya 
Demographic & Health Survey shows that the fully immunised coverage 
rate has fallen to 60%... 

http://www.comminit.com/AboutTimeArchives/sld-1404.html


13. Immunisation Resisted in Northern Nigeria - IRIN 

Nigerian National Immunisation Days against polio held in January en-
countered resistance...Officials said they were turned back by some 
families suspecting the vaccines contained HIV and birth control 
agents... 

http://www.comminit.com/AboutTimeArchives/sld-1644.html


14. Immunisation in Trouble - Boston Globe

10 years after UNICEF declared victory in reaching its goal of immu-
nising 80% of vulnerable populations around the world, many sub-
Saharan countries have fallen below 50% and in parts of India the 
situation is scarcely better...

http://www.comminit.com/BaseLineArchives/sld-27.html


MATERIALS

15. GAVI Immunisation Advocacy Resource Kit

A collection of documents, video clips, and computer presenta-
tions...explaining about, and advocating for, stronger immunisation 
programmes. 

http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3100.html
http://www.childrensvaccine.org/html/gavi-ark.htm


16. Global Population, Health, & Nutrition Communication Bibliography

Citations for peer reviewed journal articles. Search at 
http://www.comminit.com/commbiblio/sld-1860.html 
Enter Immunization and Immunisation separately.


17. Mother & Child Care Handbook - Soul City 

Informs, encourages discussion, and entertains on topics relating to 
health - including immunisation.

http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-2160.html
Contact Shereen Usdin <shereenu@soulcity.org.za>
 

18. Radio Spots - UNICEF

Radio PSAs promoting child rights [including immunisation] worldwide 
are now freely available. They are up to 1 minute in length. Review 
and download (in English & Spanish) at 
http://www.unicef.org/psa/radio/ CD copies are also available.

http://www.comminit.com/Materials/sld-3149.html
Contact <outreach@sparkmedia.org>


WEB SITES

19. Gates Children's Vaccine Program at PATH

Believes that it is a human right and a moral obligation that all of 
the world's children should have equal and timely access to new, 
life-saving vaccines. 

http://www.childrensvaccine.org/


20. GAVI - Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunisation

A partnership dedicated to ensuring that all children, however poor, 
have equal access to vaccines. 

http://www.vaccinealliance.org/


21. The Vaccine Fund

A financial mechanism developed to raise new resources for immunisa-
tion and channel them to health systems in the world's poorest coun-
tries.

http://www.vaccinealliance.org/reference/globalfund.html#about
soon to be:
http://www.vaccinefund.org

***

The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for de-
velopment activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement 
or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Drum Beat to 
The Editor
Deborah Heimann <dheimann@comminit.com>

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