Post0229 :NIDS & ROUTINE EPI: OPINION IV 24 February 2000
CONTENTS
1. POLIO CAMPAIGNS AND ROUTINE PROGRAMS
1. POLIO CAMPAIGNS AND ROUTINE PROGRAMS
Continuing the discussion which began with TECHNET Forum Post0191, with
Robert Steinglass, BASICS, in an opinion piece, discussing the relationship
between the accelerated polio eradication effort and the routine expanded
program on immunization (EPI). Robert originally presented his views at the
Global Consultation on Progress towards the Eradication of Poliomyelitis,
WHO/Geneva, 2 - 3 June 1999.
The discussion continued in Post0220 OPINION PART II on 24 January 20000,
and in Post0225 NIDS & EPI: OPINION III on 3 February 2000.
In todays postings Modibo Diko, WHO/AFRO and Mary Catlin, PATH, look at the
issues of management and support in the current environment and argue that
this is not a matter of polio eradication or the routine EPI. There is no
choice!
Anthony Battersby, FBA, corrects a misunderstanding and argues for building
sustainable systems, and supports Coeli Geefhuysen's posting (Post0225)
calling for the long term integration of immunisation into primary care and
the health services.
Action, comments and additions please: [
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Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2000 16:16:38 +0200
From: "dicko m"
To:
Dear Allan,
I don't want to get involved in the debate on polio versus EPI just because
it does not make sense. In a meeting a few weeks ago in Nairobi,
UNICEF-ESARO Regional Director said: "Most often life is not "either-or ",
but rather "both"!
This is so true regarding polio eradication initiative, which bases on 3
equally important strategies: (a) a performing and sustained routine
immunization program, (b) NIDs, and (c) AFP surveillance! Everyone knows
that?
So what is the essence of the discussion "polio versus EPI"? People who
promotes such a controversy just miss the point: the guilty is in reality
bad management of the EPI program or of the entire health sector! Indeed,
there are a few countries, like Cote d'Ivoire and Benin, where routine EPI
has improved while NIDs were going on for several consecutive years. Same
thing for health sector reforms: while many countries complain about them
disrupting EPI, Ghana has succeeded in achieving health sector reform and
improving routine coverage!
Let us focus our efforts on ways to support countries to improve the
management of their health (including immunization) programs and to build
human capacities to carry out the complex management tasks at all levels!
To give an example of bad management: we know about some countries where
using the burden of disease method, districts de-emphasized EPI! Another
example is the abandoning of training and supervision living EPI in the
hands of untrained staff!
Yes, of course, routine immunization does require specially devoted
resources! In our Regional Strategic Plan (2000-2004), we estimated
resource requirements for strengthening routine EPI to be about 25%, while
polio eradication accounts for 28%. Staff cost is estimated at 28% to be
covered mainly by national Governments (26%, which they will pay be polio
eradication or not!). Who can say that routine is neglected?
Shooting on the wheels of polio eradication is not useful and will
contribute only to the so-called "donor fatigue"! How could donor be
fatigued when we are approaching the goal? They can only be annoyed when
knowledgeable people keep on criticizing them of over-focussing on polio!
Instead of sterile critics, let us focus on the real things and convince
donors that their money will be used efficiently! Failing to do that will
only result in more time and more resource requirement for polio
eradication!
Modibo
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From: "Catlin, Mary"
To: "'Technet Moderator'"
Subject: Polio campaigns and routine programs
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2000 08:19:54 -0800
Acknowledging that:
? hardworking, creative, courageous and besieged persons of the highest
caliber have achieved historic and important impact with the polio control
efforts, and that
? for many reasons, this has coincided with an unacceptable and
continuing decline in vaccination coverage of other antigens, and
? the commitment to polio eradication must continue the last difficult
steps,
The question remains:
How can we most effectively use the remaining "opportunities" available
with Polio funds? to get rid of poliomyelitis AND improve routine
immunization.
Opportunities:
-Pressure donors who are willing to buy cold chain equipment for Polio
campaigns to also buy spare parts, and pay for training and/or salaries for
cold chain technicians. Otherwise the equipment purchased for Polio will
not persist.
-Work now within GAVI to ensure that the funds earmarked for
"infrastructure improvement" will focus on the actual needs of routine
programs, and will have incentives to institute and carry through with the
improvements.
-Epidemiologists and high-level polio surveillance staff in remote areas
can check the cold chain, reinforce VVM use, and answer questions in
routine immunization or get them answered. Just as the Sudanese child said
he had never seen a health care worker, so will you find workers in remote
areas who say they have never seen someone check on their cold chain and
vaccine use!
-The ICCs should advise that national policies permit opened vials of OPV
with VVMs can can be used in subsequent sessions in both NIDs and routine
programs. Workers trained in VVMs in campaigns need to be trained to
continue to use them in routine programs.
-Campaigns should reinforce vaccine accountability. Vaccine arrival reports
should be used and at the end of campaigns, the vaccine accumulating at the
periphery should be either moved back up the cold chain, subsequent orders
be decreased or both.
I look forward to working with Technet members to make these opportunities
realities.
Mary
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Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 21:32:20 -0500
From: Anthony Battersby
Subject: Misunderstandings
To: Michel Zaffran
Cc: [
[email protected]]
[email protected][/email]
Dear Michel,
I have just read your response in Technet, I did not reply earlier because
the temperature was too hot. I was not trying to denigrate work carried
out be anyone. What I wrote was back in November when, from the
perspective of people whom I meet in-country, what appeared to them to be
happening in Geneva was very confusing and negative. This may be a
presentational problem, but the perception was real. What you said about
the reorganisation in WHO was a helpful start and I think a detailed
presentation would go some way to allay fears.
Since I wrote my response to Robert there have been some changes, and GAVI
has come into being. Inevitably we have different perspectives, I am almost
always in places where things are not going so well, so my perspective may
represent one end of the spectrum, but I am sure it does represent how some
people feel. I apologise if I have been too blunt but I think it is very
important to appreciate that staff working in difficult conditions often
for low pay do have a finite level of effort they are prepared to allocate
to their job. Right now in places I have visited or been in contact with
that effort is mostly going to polio. That is fine if we recognise that
that is the case, and do not try to make them undertake other tasks until
polio is dealt with.
Coeli has made a very good point, for the long term I think we need to see
immunisation more integrated into primary care, as EPI evolves it needs to
become a more integral part of health services.
Campaigns, however worthy are not good for integration. The EPI programme
was trying to build sustainable infrastructure both managerial as well as
physical. Such infrastructure is the only way to assure sustainable health
services, heavy emphasis on a particular aspect however worthwhile runs the
risk of taking attention and resources away from services which overall are
just as important to the effectiveness of a health service. As countries
find it increasing difficult to provide resources for health services, I
believe we need to get back to the basic principles of EPI, that is to
build infrastructure that is affordable, managerially possible and thus
sustainable and can be used by all primary care services. Hans's child
quote "The polio teams were the first health workers I have seen in my
life." is a dreadful indictment of HFA 2000. We can do better.
Anthony
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