The Drum Beat 115 - Communication for Immunisation and 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 resistance 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 immunisation drive. Drummers and singers helped people to overcome their objections as they spread educational information about polio while respected community leaders reinforced the message...
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 immunisation programmes together with other public health programmes such as measles control initiatives...
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 workers 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...
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, Vitamin A, Diarrhoea, Family Planning for newly weds, Problems of adolescents, and HIV/AIDS. At the end of each episode, 3 questions are asked. Viewers send their answers to the soap opera address... 
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 associations and youth groups, NGOs and community based organisations and influential individuals within the respective communities...
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 regions of 'Somaliland', as well as all NGOs involved in the health sector"...
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...
Contact ohg@eircom.net

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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

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EVALUATION/RESEARCH

8. Providers and 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 discouraged and immunisation safety was compromised because of lack of supportive supervision and monitoring, lack of constructive feedback, and no appreciation for their hard work.' 
Contact Mahesh Bhattarai gwp@ntc.net.np

9. Life-saver - Women's savings groups and immunisation - Bangladesh
Why do some parents decide not to immunise their children? Are decisions based on health issues or social and cultural factors? Researchers from the University of Southampton and the Population Council evaluated the child vaccination programme in Bangladesh...
Click here for the full article on the ID 21 website.
Contact Fiona Steele F.Steele@ioe.ac.uk

STRATEGIC THINKING

10. Hepatitis B Vaccine Introduction - Lessons Learned in Advocacy, Communication, and Training
Summarizes lessons learned in Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, 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 opportunity to educate providers about hepatitis B...
Contact Scott Wittet swittet@path.org

11. Helping Providers, Parents, and the Public: Immunisation Education and Communication
From the CDC's National Immunisation Programme [USA]. Includes: Immunisation Information and Education Goals...Responding to the Immunisation Education Needs of Health Care Providers, Parents, & the Public...Research Methods...Communications 'Products'...
Contact Glen Nowak gjn0@cdc.gov

TRENDS

12. Immunisation Falls in Kenya
Source: 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%... 

13. Immunisation Resisted in Northern Nigeria
Source: IRIN
Nigerian National Immunisation Days against polio held in January encountered resistance...Officials said they were turned back by some families suspecting the vaccines contained HIV and birth control agents... 

14. Immunisation in Trouble
Source: Boston Globe
10 years after UNICEF declared victory in reaching its goal of immunising 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...

MATERIALS

15. GAVI Immunisation Advocacy Resource Kit A collection of documents, video clips, and computer presentations...explaining about, and advocating for, stronger immunisation programmes. Click here for the Advocacy Kit.

16. Global Population, Health, & Nutrition Communication Bibliography Citations for peer reviewed journal articles.

17. Mother and Child Care Handbook - Soul City
Informs, encourages discussion, and entertains on topics relating to health - including immunisation. Click here for more information. 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 the UNICEF site. CD copies are also available.
Click here for more details.
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. Click here.

20. GAVI - Global Alliance for Vaccines & Immunisation A partnership dedicated to ensuring that all children, however poor, have equal access to vaccines. Click here.

21. The Vaccine Fund A financial mechanism developed to raise new resources for immunisation and channel them to health systems in the world's poorest countries. Click here.

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