Back of the Jeep Facilitators Guide: Half-Day Training on Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus

"Interpersonal communication has been proven to be successful in increasing awareness, as well as changing behaviors, to help minimize the negative health impacts of disease outbreaks."

Prepared by the Academy for Educational Development (AED) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this guide describes a half-day training for community health workers and volunteers and first responders on how to counsel and mobilise their communities on key practices to reduce the risk of contracting the H1N1 influenza virus.

The training detailed in this resource is intended to provide guidance and tools to community health workers and volunteers workers on messages they need to deliver to families and communities and how to use counselling materials to increase the understanding and the adoption of correct practices to reduce and contain the spread of the H1N1 virus. The emphasis is on "non-pharmaceutical interventions" - isolation and quarantine, hygiene (such as handwashing and respiratory etiquette), and home care for the sick.

During the interactive training workshop sessions of the Back of the Jeep® Training for Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus Outbreaks, participants use group discussions, role plays, and demonstrations to increase their understanding of the interventions detailed in the flip chart, counselling cards, and flyers, which stress the importance of adopting practices that will stop the spread of novel H1N1 influenza.

In addition to the materials themselves, the resource contains different types of guidance for people giving the training. For each of the 6 sessions, there is a list of objectives, how long the session should last, which materials should be used, and a list of training tasks. In most cases, there are "Notes to Co-Trainers" that provide additional explanation on the training tasks, such as how and why they should be done.