Reaching Every District (RED) - A guide to increasing coverage and equity in all communities in the African Region

The Reaching Every District(RED)strategy has played a key role in successfully strengthening African immunization systems to sustainably and equitably increase immunization coverage rates to meet established targets since the early 2000\'s. RED\'s five strategies are operationally-focused, and include 1) planning and management of resources; 2) reaching all eligible populations; 3) engaging with communities; 4) conducting supportive supervision; and 5) monitoring and using data for action. In 2007, WHO and partners evaluated the implementation of RED strategies in nine African countries. Results demonstrated improved coverage in eight of the nine countries; an increased number of immunization outreach sessions in all districts visited; and more frequent supervision in seven of the nine countries. These results led to a revision of the RED Guide in 2008, which promoted RED as a platform for improving the delivery of other Primary Healthcare Services, in the spirit of the 2008 Ouagadougou Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) and Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) in Africa and WHO\'s Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS)Goal number 4.