I am please to announce the addition of this blog to our district web site.
In time I hope members of our district will share their their thoughts with other Rotarians in our district.
Happy blogging
Bruce Hemmet
District Technology Team
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This has been my first opportunity to check the District blogspot and I hope in the very near future to keep adding items of interest to it. Watch this spot!!
ReplyDeleteThe Global Polio Eradication Initiative is the largest public health initiative ever. Spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), is a unique collaboration of governments, international organizations, the private sector, civil society and over 20 million volunteers.
ReplyDeleteSince the GPEI was launched in 1988 during the World Health Assembly, the number of global polio cases has decreased by 99%, from over 350,000 in 1988 to fewer than 1,307 in 2007. As the GPEI enters 2008, wild poliovirus circulation has become increasingly limited to a small number of reservoirs in areas of the four endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan), and a few countries that were once polio-free, but where the virus has been reintroduced in the past years.
Nationwide Efforts
ReplyDeleteThe Indian government has approved and is implementing a revised communication review process. The new system will take a longer and more detailed look at specific issues in key geographic areas where polio transmission remains a high risk. The new approach is expected to produce more specific recommendations to guide the communication effort in achieving the goals set for this year. Targets vary from region to region but focus on themes such as: missed children, the use of influencers, immunisation resistance, getting newborns immunized, and team performance.
The government has also changed its immunization policy in regards to The Haj, the annual pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca. Receiving OPV vaccination is now a required part of the application process. Expectations are that the vaccination programme will reach many senior Muslim leaders for the first time and have an opportunity to discuss the benefits of the immunization with them. By late March in Uttar Pradesh, 27,000 out of an estimated 50,000 applicants had already been vaccinated, up from 23,000 for the entire process last year.
Uttar Pradesh
The state of Uttar Pradesh reported its first case of Type 1 virus in May. This was the first case in eighteen months and the IEAG has recommended a high concentration of mop up vaccinations in the state to ensure that they eliminate Type 1 virus. To achieve the goal, work plans will now focus on the sub-regional level and set quarterly goals. This should enable SMNet to better monitor progress and strengthen the efforts to work with influencers, reach newborns and reduce the number of missed households.
The state is also testing sub-regional media plans in the Agra region of Uttar Pradesh. Local cable television ads with be coordinated with radio spots and newspaper ads. The shift reflects the new emphasis on sub-regional planning and allows for a targeted messaging campaign that addresses region-specific concerns. It has the added benefit on not spreading the message beyond the coverage area of the NID and avoids the heavy costs of a national ad campaign.