POST 00771E : MEASLES CAMPAIGN AND ITN DISTRIBUTION
Follow-up on Posts 00763E, 00765E, 00767E and 00768E :
3 April 2005
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This posting contains two contributions. The first is from Richard Hunlédé
(mailto:[email protected]) from the IFRC in Switzerland. Interested
members could also read the appeal document "Malaria and Measles : Focus on
Togo" of April 2004 that provides background information. It can be
downloaded from :
http://www.ifrc.org/cgi/pdf_appeals.pl?/04/1004proginitmal&measTogo.pdf
The second contribution is from Anil Varshney
(mailto:[email protected]) from India.
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Dear Mr Steinglass
Thank you very much for your interest in our malaria and vaccination
program. The Keep Up approach is currently being piloting in Togo and will
be very closely monitored with regards to impact both on mortality and
morbidity data as well as the evaluate the importance of involving civil
society in reaching the targets. The IFRC have never before monitored the
input and effect of the RC volunteers work in the communities so closely.
We can therefore not yet provide you with "lessons learnt" - before early
2006, when the Togo Red Cross Keep Up program has been running for one year
and we have impact data from the evaluations ready. We hope that data from
Togo will help with regards to setting the long term follow up on the
agenda, and include financial support for long term social mobilisation in
the budgets.We think and promote that those who engage in mass free
distribution cannot easily walk away after their campaigns. There must be a
moral obligation to stay with it for follow-up, keep-up. In Togo the
Norwegian Red Cross has made a commitment for a three year follow-up for
house-to-house monthly visits to ensure hanging and proper use of nets and
to direct newly pregnant and caretakers of new infants to acquire nets and
vaccination. We are relying on other donors,e.g. GFATM/UNDP to ensure that
LLITNs will be available at antenatal clinics and through EPI to ensure
that the newborns, newly pregnant get their LLITNs to maintain the current
high levels of HH ownership (97% nationally), and the 60% level already
reached for children under 5 years of age sleeping under an ITN (CDC Togo
national survey Feb. 2005).
In Africa the RC/RC national societies has developed a health strategy
outlining the health priorities 2000 - 2010 (ARCHI 2010). You can find
further information about ARCHI and ARCHI toolkit on our web site. This is
the basis on how we focus and implement our community based health
programs, where activities linked to the Keep Up will be integrated
wherever possible - or otherwise particular Keep Up project activities will
be developed by RCNS for volunteers in the branches involved with
vaccination and malaria campaign efforts..Our experiences form the
community based health programs ( HIV/AIDS, wat. san/ health promotion,
etc) on a long term basis is overall very good, as long as we can keep the
volunteers motivated and give them the necessary support - this includes
moral support as well as financial support to cover their actual cost in
carrying out activities ( travel, lunch etc) RC volunteers are not paid any
salaries or incentives other than this.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like any further information.
With best regards,
Richard Hunlédé
Head ,
Africa Department
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Sir
Over the years health interventions have become vertically-run programs,
with funding agencies, departments, workers in each program unaware of the
activities in other programs. This also means lack of cooperation and
coordination from top to bottom.
Disease strikes without compartments or vertical separation. All
opportunities such as NIDs, measles campaign, pulse polio should be
utilised for providing all possible health interventions specially those
which are underused.
Places where pulse polio is being conducted months after months, the
routine immunization is suffering with routine OPV dropping to around 20% ,
because every PPI round takes away 15 days of health staff time and work
from planning, arranging, conducting house to house contact. If during
these campaigns the opportunity could be made to assess and deliver other
immunization and services as relevant/ possible, by adding few more hands,
so that polio work is not diluted. The additional cost would be marginal
but benefits huge. Such interventions could include malaria, other
vaccines, IFA tablets, antenatal check up etc. and health education.
Thus NID becomes the focal activity for convergence. And a contact with
public is best utilized.
Regards ,
Anil varshney
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