POST 00771E : MEASLES CAMPAIGN AND ITN DISTRIBUTION

POST 00771E : MEASLES CAMPAIGN AND ITN DISTRIBUTION Follow-up on Posts 00763E, 00765E, 00767E and 00768E : 3 April 2005 _____________________________________ 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. _____________________________________ 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 ---------------------------------- 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 ______________________________________________________________________________ Visit the TECHNET21 Website at http://www.technet21.org You will find instructions to subscribe, a direct access to archives, links to reference documents and other features. ______________________________________________________________________________ To UNSUBSCRIBE, send a message to : mailto:[email protected] Leave the subject area BLANK In the message body, write unsubscribe TECHNET21E ______________________________________________________________________________ The World Health Organization and UNICEF support TechNet21. The TechNet21 e-Forum is a communication/information tool for generation of ideas on how to improve immunization services. It is moderated by Claude Letarte and is hosted in cooperation with the Centre de coopération internationale en santé et développement, Québec, Canada (http://www.ccisd.org) ______________________________________________________________________________