333081
Improvement of Polio Campaigns through use of GPS in Independent Monitoring in Angola
Angola has been for over three years without reporting a case of polio. Luanda province had high number of unvaccinated children during multiple campaigns. The CORE Group decided to use GPS to collect critical information on the quality of the campaign implementation and social mobilization activities for corrective actions in future rounds using independent campaign monitoring. A total of 1,179 children were surveyed following the WHO standard guidelines both children at home and out of house. The results showed that 30% (358) of the children surveyed were missed during the vaccination campaign reasons mainly the house was not visited and the parents did not know about the campaign. Monitors followed the same routes as the vaccinators not going to the interior of the neighborhoods and did not realize that the GPS was also monitoring them.
It is recommended that proper resources should be provided to vaccinators and monitors to reach difficult areas during campaigns. The use of smart phones with GPS is good, giving quicker results as compared to paper and cost effective instrument to use in independent monitoring of the polio campaigns.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practiceDiversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Compare the advantages of using smart phones in independent campaign monitoring
Describe the role of civil society in independent campaign monitoring
Keyword(s): Immunizations, Risk Factors/Assesment
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: N/A
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I Wirsiy Peter Njofon born in 1959, have a MSc. Public Health in Developing Countries from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and a Diploma in Tropical Medicine from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I have a Doctor of Medicine (MD) from the University of Yaounde 1. I have attended many courses in public health and have given public health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.