Immunisation in Sub-Saharan Africa - Recommendations - Democratic Republic of Congo

from the report "Communication for Routine Immunisation and Polio Eradication: A Synopsis of Five Sub-Saharan Country Case Studies"



In October and November 1999, a series of case studies were carried out in five sub-Saharan countries. The broad objectives were to: document communication activities for polio eradication, routine immunisation and surveillance; exchange effective and innovative experiences; and provide recommendations for the improvement of communication interventions. The initiative was a collaborative effort undertaken by the Ministries of Health of visited countries, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Unites States Agency for International Development (USAID) and its subcontractors (BASICS, CHANGE and JHU-PCS). Visited countries were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zambia.

Recommendations:

1. Capitalise on the gains and the dynamism of NIDs and Local Immunisation Days to strengthen the partnership between the MOH/EPI, the ICC and other partners (international and national NGOs) in routine and surveillance activities.

2. Stabilize and strengthen structures in charge of ICE/social mobilisation at all levels:

• at the central level, assign additional staff to IEC/EPI activities;
• at the provincial level, nominate a person in charge of IEC/social mobilisation and assign him/her to coordinate EPI in the provinces;
• at the health zone level, increasing the experience of community events organisers by assigning them to the central office of the health zone.

3. Stabilise and strengthen the Committee for Social Mobilisation for NIDs at the national and provincial level by:

• providing technical IEC support for EPI; and
• including representatives from the various ministries and the most prominent social and religious groups.

4. Increase communication/social mobilisation components in EPI activities, in particular: planning, micro-planning, supervision and follow-up and evaluation.

5. Strengthen capacities in planning and communication/social mobilisation techniques among those responsible for these activities at all levels. They need to be provided with the tools and teaching aids for communication and other resources.

6. Carry out training and operational research in order to:

• identify target groups;
• adapt educational messages and materials in function of the local sociocultural context; and
• evaluate the impact of messages on beneficiaries. (This involves, on the one hand, the diversification of channels of communication and the integration of traditional channels of communication that transmit cultural values aimed at changing behaviour and, on the other hand, the ownership of EPI activities by the community.)

7. Make the decentralisation of planning and resource management for social mobilisation at the provincial and local level more effective.

8. Record different original experiences and circulate them widely in order to encourage emulation and a spirit of creativity on the ground on the one hand, and experience exchange on the other.

9. Spread the word about different messages and tools throughout the country, so as to avoid the dangerous effects of inappropriate and contradictory messages.

10. Adopt communication and social mobilisation strategies for different immunisation strategies (fixed centres, mobile strategies, door-to-door campaigns) and tracking of EPI diseases.