The Drum Beat 532 - Communicable Disease Communication
This issue includes:
- H1N1 COMMUNICATION
- Populate and participate in our NEW H1N1 space!
- MALARIA COMMUNICATION
- and MORE on Malaria
- TB COMMUNICATION
- and MORE on TB
- HIV/AIDS COMMUNICATION
- CALL FOR PAPERS: HIV/AIDS and governance
- and MORE on HIV/AIDS
Communicable diseases present critical challenges for those seeking to use communication to address them. This issue of The Drum Beat explores the shape that communication has taken - from both theoretical and intensely practical perspectives - related to 4 specific diseases: H1N1 influenza, Malaria, Tuberculosis (TB), and AIDS.
1. Integrated Communication Strategy for Distribution of H1N1 Vaccine
This February 2010 document proposes a communications plan that countries can use to inform the public and at-risk groups about the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza vaccine. It was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO)/H1N1 Communications Team and Societal and Individual Measures Team. According to WHO, while information and mass media campaigns play a crucial role in informing different stakeholders about H1N1 and about the vaccine and its benefits, ensuring the successful distribution and uptake of the vaccine among priority groups requires an integrated strategy that includes elements of both risk communications (often done through the media) and social mobilisation (using multiple communications means and methods to convince individuals and groups to take action). The central focus is on influencing behaviour so that people carry out appropriate actions to protect themselves from becoming infected and from infecting others.
First made available in June 2009, this framework from WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is designed to address those institutions developing communication interventions to reduce the spread and impact of the H1N1 virus. It focuses on control measures at the individual and family level. It includes strategic advice on behavioural interventions to reduce transmission, morbidity, and mortality of people who are well, people who are sick, and those caring for sick people and their family members.
This July 2009 presentation outlines key elements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s communication response to the emergence of H1N1. This response has had several objectives, including: acknowledging uncertainties and challenges; recognising direct fear and concern (vs. attempt to minimise); providing timely, accurate, and helpful guidance; and using multiple communication channels (e.g., media, health care providers, health departments, social media). In its response, the CDC has been guided by principles including: acknowledge the situation early; maintain transparency; identify uncertainties and the unpredictable nature of influenza (recognise that the amount of uncertainty is more than everyone would like, trust the public to tolerate incomplete and potentially upsetting information, and recognise that news media will have many opportunities to highlight/find uncertainty, conflicting views and opinions, incomplete science, or data); and offer anticipatory guidance.
by Renata Schiavo
Overall, the findings analysed and discussed in this January 2009 report support the need for technical guidance and tools on pandemic flu communications at the community and household level. The study, which was initiated and contracted by UNICEF, also confirms the existing divide in terms of levels of pandemic flu communications preparedness between developing and industrialised countries. One insight to emerge from the study is the importance of community participation and ownership in a pandemic communication strategy: "a fundamental step in implementing this community consultation model is to empower and train community leaders, relevant groups, and communication and social mobilization partners on interpersonal communications skills, dialogue and group facilitation, and information management as well as overall communication planning and implementation strategies."
5. Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO) - United States
ECHO exists to provide health and safety information during both emergency and non-emergency times to people who speak limited English in the state of Minnesota in the US. For example, during the initial wave of 2009 H1N1 influenza, ECHO produced a package of broadcast announcements and ECHO phone messages about the illness. In the autumn of that year, ECHO produced 2 additional packages of broadcast announcements and phone messages in 12 different languages, as well as an ECHO-TV programme dealing specifically with H1N1. A third package of broadcast and phone messages will deal specifically with vaccination issues. Also, ECHO's H1N1 page includes basic prevention information, vaccine prioritisation information, and other prevention tips.
Contact: info@echominnesota.org
6. Back of the Jeep Facilitators Guide: Half-Day Training on Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus
Available in English and Hindi, this September 2009 guide describes a half-day training for community health workers and volunteers and first responders on how to counsel and mobilise their communities on key practices to reduce the risk of contracting the H1N1 influenza virus. Participants use group discussions, role plays, and demonstrations to increase their understanding of the interventions detailed in the flip chart, counselling cards, and flyers, which stress the importance of adopting practices that will stop the spread of novel H1N1 influenza.
Are you interested in regular updates on H1N1 communication? Send a note to drumbeat@comminit.com with "H1N1" as the subject.
NEW H1N1 FOCUS AREA on The CI!
The CI has just launched a new Special Focus Area highlighting communication and media related to H1N1 strategic thinking, programming, evaluation, and resources click here.
Should the Pandemic H1N1 2009 continue to be a public health priority? VOTE, and explain your perspective in the comments box: click here.
REFLECTIONS AND DIALOGUE: Join H1N1 Communication! Click here.
This is an online space for people involved in H1N1 communication action and thinking to share experiences and review challenges and lessons learned in support of each others' work. Dialogue will begin March 11th. JOIN: click here.
7. United Against Malaria (UAM) - Global
In the context of the 2010 World Cup, the goal of this partnership is to catalyse football ("soccer") fans across the world to build support for the 2010 target of universal access to mosquito nets and malaria medicine in Africa. UAM's presence on social networks - e.g., the "Kick Malaria" Facebook game - is reinforced by efforts such as the January 2010 erection of 18 UAM billboards in Mali's capital, Bamako, featuring catchy messages such as "2010, the year of victory over malaria" and "One Team One Goal." A variety of in-person, sports-oriented activities are also taking place. For example, Charles Ssali, the face of the UAM campaign, participated in a game called "Mosquito Tag," which helps provide lessons on how to prevent malaria, while visiting a primary school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Contact: United Against Malaria website.
8. Effective Communication Is Vital For the Elimination of Malaria
by Kini Nsom, Edith Wirdze, and Victorine Biy Yongka
This December 2008 article empbhasises the need for effective communication as part of the Global Malaria Action Plan (GMAP). The article focuses on an orientation session for journalists organised by the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (CCAM) in December 2008. Amongst the presenters were David Robertson, who began driving across Europe in 1998 as a one-man mission to distribute mosquito nets and information to fight malaria, and Julia Samuel, who has joined him on the Drive Against Malaria as it reaches remote villages across Africa. Participating journalists particularly expressed appreciation for their efforts to drive across the continent in harsh conditions, despite their own illness and disability.
9. Voices for a Malaria-Free Future Ghana
This is an initiative to raise awareness at the national and community level around issues such as access to insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), provision of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for pregnant women, drug resistance, and pesticides used in indoor residual spraying (IRS). Voices for a Malaria-Free Future Ghana has developed: print materials to support advocacy efforts at national and district levels; a series of posters entitled "Use Your Power to Fight Malaria"; a malaria resource map; and a newsletter, "Malaria Action Alert", which provides information about malaria in Ghana and what people can do to prevent and treat it. Radio and television spots, a series of 6-minute documentaries, and an advocacy song and music video have also been created. The project also formed and trained 8 District-level Malaria Advocacy Teams (DMATs) who conduct advocacy around the implementation of malaria control activities.
Contact: Emmanuel Fiagbey femmanuel@voicesgh.org
10. Kilimani Sesame - Tanzania
The 13-part Swahili television and radio broadcasts of Kilimani Sesame are designed to help children learn about themselves and the social, biological, and physical world around them. For example, in the episode "The Mosquito Net," viewers meet Upendo, a young girl who has a mosquito net with holes in it. She explains the differences between a treated and an untreated net, and then travels with her older sister to purchase a new treated net. Outreach materials include the storybook "The Safe Net", featuring Neno (a version of Elmo) who doesn't like sleeping under a mosquito net; his Kilimani Sesame friends Lulu and Kami show him that it is very important to do so. As Mama Heri shows him how to carefully tuck the ends of his mosquito net under his mattress, she sings to him, "I'm going to sleep inside my insecticide treated net. Mr. Mosquito won't bite me inside my insecticide treated net....It's going to keep me safe until morning comes."
Contact: June H. Lee june.lee@sesameworkshop.org OR Cory Brandt cbrandt@usaid.gov
MORE on Malaria:
...and see...
C-Change Picks 6 - Focus on Malaria and Family Planning/Maternal Health - May 12 2009
The Drum Beat 489 - Malaria Prevention and Treatment - Apr 27 2009
The Soul Beat 113 - Communication for Malaria Prevention and Treatment - Aug 27 2008
The Drum Beat 357 - MDG #6 - Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases - Jul 24 2006
The Drum Beat 309 - MDG #6 - Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases - Jul 25 2005
The Soul Beat 33 - Malaria Communication - Feb 9 2005
11. Tuberculosis Survival Project (TBSP)
Launched on World TB Day 2006, TBSP centres around an interactive website designed to: raise awareness and provide information about Tuberculosis (TB) and Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB); offer a peer support service to those undertaking TB treatment; to provide an e-platform where people can share their own - and read about each other's - experience of having the disease; provide country-specific information so people can learn about what is going on in their region with regard to the disease; develop and publish relevant self-help and informative publications designed for people with TB/MDR-TB; and create national grassroots patient networks through workshop delivery and skills sharing.
Contact: Paul Thorn paulthornlondon@hotmail.com
Funded by the Tuberculosis Coalition for Technical Assistance (TBCTA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and created in partnership with the American Thoracic Society and Edelman public relations, the TB Advocacy Toolkit is a content management system specifically designed to assist in researching, developing, and publishing advocacy materials and to inform advocacy agendas. The toolkit outlines TB advocacy methods and steps. It is intended to provide access to publications, tools, and templates produced by TBCTA partners through one centralised location.
13. Understanding and Challenging TB Stigma: Toolkit for Action
by Ross Kidd, Sue Clay, Steve Belemu, Virginia Bond, Mutale Chonta, and Chipo Chiiya
Published in March 2009, this toolkit is meant to help trainers plan and organise participatory educational sessions with community leaders or organised groups to raise awareness and promote practical action to challenge HIV and TB stigma and discrimination. It is primarily intended for use by non-governmental organisation (NGO) support programmes in Africa who are working on, or intend to work on TB- and HIV-related issues. The publication contains a range of participatory games, exercises, and picture tools to help address TB stigma.
14. Sorting Fact from Fiction: Improving Media Reporting on TB
This September 2008 resource from Panos London's Relay programme is premised on the claim that journalists can lead the way in the fight against TB by raising awareness, dispelling fear, challenging policymakers, and providing clear, factual research information. To that end, "Sorting Fact from Fiction" explores why scientific information is vital and provides tips and ideas for media professionals seeking to develop powerful stories with a human face.
MORE on TB:
...and see:
The Soul Beat 106 - Tuberculosis - May 14 2008
The Drum Beat 189 - Tuberculosis - Mar 24 2003
15. International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) - Global
Run for and by HIV-positive women, ICW seeks to empower HIV-positive women worldwide by promoting their voices, working to effect changes that improve their lives, and bolstering their influence and input on policy development. ICW's key communication strategy is global networking - reaching isolated women living with HIV/AIDS and mobilising them to get involved in areas of service delivery and policy that affect their lives and the lives of their children and families. To facilitate this connection and capacity-building, ICW draws on several modes of interaction, such as face-to-face, interpersonal contact in the form of trainings and meetings for HIV-positive women. Also, ICW's website offers resources such as an Advocacy Pack that includes information on: different policy processes (e.g., the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS), positive women's involvement in these processes, and strategies positive women have used to ensure their meaningful involvement and impact.
Contact: info@icw.org
by Paatrick Walugembe, Evelyn Namubiru, Isaac Kato, Bernard Sabiiti, Catharine Watson, and Stuart Campo
This October 2009 evaluation report examines a project carried out by Uganda's Straight Talk Foundation (STF) called "Youth Radio for Better Adolescent Reproductive Health" in Kisoro, Uganda. The project incorporated a local language youth radio show with complementary information, education, and communication (IEC) materials and face-to-face activities - a package of interventions meant to facilitate sustained and informed conversations amongst adolescents and the adults in their lives about adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH). Specifically, the project aimed to contribute to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts among married and unmarried adolescents and youth. Of 14 targets set in the project proposal, STF was able to exceed 8.
CALL FOR PAPERS
The Global Health Governance journal has issued a call for papers for a special issue focused on Global Health Governance and the AIDS Response. This issue will explore the contributions of the global AIDS response over the last 30 years to innovations in governance principles, paradigms, and practice.
The editors seek a balance of theoretical/conceptual and empirical pieces from a wide variety of disciplinary perspectives - including public health, political science and international relations, international law, philosophy, history, anthropology, business, and public administration - to better understand and improve this exciting area of practice and enquiry.
Authors should alert the journal of their intention to submit a manuscript, including the proposed title of the paper, the names of the author(s), and an abstract of no more than 250 words. The abstract should include the research question(s), methods, findings, main, argument and implications. The letter should be submitted to Sonja Tanaka, tanakas@unaids.org
Deadline for Submission of Abstract: March 15 2010.
For the full announcement and additional information, please click here.
by Anurudra Bhanot and Radharani Mitra
This June 2009 presentation highlights research conducted to assess the relevance and impact of a yearlong multimedia behaviour change communication (BCC) campaign launched in December 2007 to promote condom use among young men in India. In addition to using local satellite and terrestrial television channels, "Condom, Condom!" combined radio, print, and outdoor media as well as new media. For instance, a PSA centred around a kabaddi match features the protagonist winning the match against a "macho" team by chanting "condom" instead of "kabaddi". The TV ad was used to start debate/discussion in other media, such as a short message service (SMS) poll that asked people to send a text message indicating whether they agree or disagree with the statement "smart men talk about condoms". BBC WST carried out an impact evaluation in order to assess campaign reach and to measure changes in the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviour of the intended audience.
by Lydia Clemmons and Lucy Shillingi
This April 2009 report explores the impact of the Text Me! Flash Me! Helpline, which uses cell phone technology to provide most-at-risk populations (MARP) with friendly and accessible HIV and AIDS information, referrals, and counseling services from qualified providers. A creation of the Ghana SHARP project (Strengthening HIV/AIDS Response Partnerships), the Helpline was launched in September 2008 through a pilot focusing on men who have sex with men (MSM) exclusively, and then was expanded in February 2009 to include female sex workers (FSW). Preliminary information indicates that the Helpline has had a significant impact on sexually transmitted infection (STI) and counseling and testing (CT) service uptake among MSM and FSW.
by Scott Connolly, Katie Elmore, and Wendi Stein
This August 2008 report presents the results of a qualitative participatory assessment study of youth listeners to the Jamaican radio serial drama Outta Road. This programme was designed to motivate Jamaican adolescents to adopt healthy behaviours and reduce the risk of violence, early sex, and use of illegal drugs. "Many participants reported making positive changes that resulted from learning or understanding more about themselves from listening to Outta Road. This included making the 'right decisions,' 'mature decisions,' and 'sacrifices'..." Furthermore, "[m]ost participants offered that they had shared some of the information they heard or lessons they had learned from Outta Road with their peers. Females shared this information by giving advice to their friends about sexual health, preventing pregnancy and/or HIV by using condoms..."
Visit The CI's HIV/AIDS Theme Site
AND...
Soul Beat Africa's HIV/AIDS Theme Site
AND..
One of the (many) related Groups in The CI's NEW social networking platform:
Gender, Education, and HIV/AIDS
This issue of The Drum Beat was written by Kier Olsen DeVries.
The Editor of The Drum Beat is Kier Olsen DeVries.
Please send material for The Drum Beat to The CI's Editorial Director - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com
The Drum Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
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