Immunisation in Sub-Saharan Africa - Recommendations – Mali

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.

• Initiate intersectoral collaboration to maximise the support and resources available for interventions.
• Identify an effective ‘champion' who can influence decision makers and effectively lobby for resources and support for a programme at the national level.
• Increase the active and early involvement of communities in designing, planning, implementing and monitoring strategies to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of community-oriented programmes.
• Involve traditional community leadership structures.
• Incorporate women's formal and informal networks in communication and social mobilisation strategies, providing capacity-building support as necessary.
• Involve non-governmental organisations in the design, planning and implementation of strategies, taking advantage of their experiences in mobilising communities.
• Develop a multimedia communication strategy that utilizes appropriate & cost-effective approaches, channels and messages.
• In countries where mass media have limited coverage and impact, prioritise interpersonal communication and social networks, and utilise mass media only as a complementary approach.
• Add basic health education to communication strategies.
• Identify and utilise gender-appropriate strategies that take into account the attributes and preoccupations of women as well as men.
• Assure the complementarity of NIDs, EPI and AFP surveillance as part of a three-pronged approach to polio eradication by promoting a synergy between the strategies and in the allocation of resources.
• Improve monitoring and evaluation.
• Involve children as active participants in IEC strategies, such as radio broadcasts, and also in mobilisation strategies.