Expanded Programme on Immunization/EPI
Immunization has been one of the most successful and cost effective public health interventions in history, and the unprecedented wave of new vaccines expected over the next decade has the potential to dramatically reduce the global burden of vaccine preventable diseases. PC carries out three programs relatedto vaccines:
- To improve community awareness in AFP/Measles/MNT surveillance in Ethiopian Somali Regional State hard to reach woredas
- to contribute to the cMYP of the country through collective action to enhance immunization services in low performing and hard to reach areas; And (3) working to enhance the efficiency and performance of vaccine cold chains and supply chains.
CORE Group Polio Project /CGPP
The Core group polio project has been implemented by PC with the support from USIAD/World Vision through CCRDA/CGPP Consortium2 . The project has implemented community-based strategies designed to AFP, surveillance, RI coverage, and SIA in high-risk and/or hard-to-reach areas over the past five years in Ethiopia.
The five-year long project has been contributing to the national goal of increasing polio immunization coverage, improving surveillance for AFP and strengthening local services. The project planned to reach a total of 15,329 under 1 and 16,472 pregnant women.
Major achievements
PC has been implementing interrelated and coordinated core activities to achieve the objectives of the project. During this reporting period around 197 CVs & 100 HEW/HW were trained on CBNS & NBT for polio birth dose. On the other hand, when cases are detected, the community easily report to them and in turn report to the HEWs &/or to the nearest health facilities.
They have been actively involved in surveillance & active case search through H2H visits. They worked hard to make people aware of the vaccines and dangers of the disease even during different socio- cultural gathering. By doing active case search and sending reports, CVs were able to reach 19,708 HH and numerous community gatherings with EPI message, 2,903 persons reached by health education, through defaulter tracing 3,002 children identified and referred to the nearest health facility to be vaccinated.
Evidences show that 7 AFP cases were detected and reported in the implementation areas where samples taken to Addis Ababa National laboratory. Hence to recognize their performance, PC had been motivating CVs and HEWs with incentives for those performing best among them. In this year alone, during meeting & gatherings with stakeholders, 12 HEWs and 12 CVs had been awarded.
PC conducted community sensitization activity with the support of CGPP and GAVI projects/CC in selected kebeles and sub kebeles identified as low EPI coverage. Total of 180 sessions of CC has been conducted in GAVI project implementation Woredas; Participants were elders, clan leaders, religious leaders, wise mothers, cabinet members and youth association. Main discussion topics were VPDs, EPI in general, role of care takers on immunization. A total of 232 participants participated on CGPP community sensitization workshop.
In hard to reach community strengthening RI through OR is mandatory. From the 6 Woredas in 2017, PC has been supporting HF to timely transportation of vaccines and vaccinators to HP. At each Woredas 5 outreach sites established and supported by monthly basis. In 30 OR sites 135 sessions conducted and managed to vaccinate 565 children for BCG, 1159 children for PCV1
,1159 children for Penta1, 1112 children for Penta 3 , 1112 childrenfor OPV3 , 810 children for measles , 810 children fully vaccinated with the support of CGPP and GAVI projects. Under GAVI project attaining the objective on ensuring accessibility of immunization services in hard to reach areas, 4,155 liter of kerosene distributed for 30 static sites, 1,102 liters of petrol distributed for motorbikes to transport vaccines and vaccinator during OR session, 13 motorbikes maintained. As a result of improved immunization services access and coverage and active case search by CVs, there is no single confirmed case of polio reported in this high risk polio transmission area.
In addition, to the above mentioned strategies, PC participated in 2 polio SIA & one measles integrated with EOS campaign starting from planning implementing and monitoring. Considering the woredas vastness and the mobility of the pastoralist communities’ the logistics3 benefited in filling the geographic gap reaching around 90% of every eligible child in the 6 project implementations Woredas (367,3744 )
During the pre-campaign and intra-campaign community mobilization/sensitization workshops had been conducted. A total of 122 CVs, kebele leaders and HEWs participated in the meeting and informed the efforts and strategies of polio eradication. They were active in mobilizing the community during the campaign.