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Writer: Immunization

Association of Volunteer Communication Mobilizers’ Polio-Related Knowledge and Job-Related Characteristics With Health Message Delivery Performance in Kano District of Nigeria

Volunteer communication mobilizers (VCMs) were deployed in Nigeria to increase community awareness for polio vaccination. To understand whether VCMs’ knowledge and job-related characteristics were associated with performance, the authors conducted a cross-sectional survey in the Nassarawa and Ungogo Local Governance Areas (LGAs). They asked VCMs about the consequences of polio, preventive strategies, and health communication […]

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Polio Eradication and Health Systems in Karachi: Vaccine Refusals in Context

Community and health worker engagement will be key to polio eradication in Karachi, Pakistan. In this study, the authors conducted participant observation, interviews, and a document review in SITE Town, Karachi, an area that in recent years has harbored poliovirus. SITE’s diverse population includes large numbers of internally displaced persons who are disproportionately affected by […]

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Polio Immunization Social Norms in Kano State, Nigeria: Implications for Designing Polio Immunization Information and Communication Programs for Routine Immunization Services

This study explored polio immunization social norms in Kano State, Nigeria, one of the last polio endemic regions in the world. The study aimed to answer the following research question: what polio immunization social norms exist in Kano, Nigeria To read the full, open access article in the journal Global Health Communication, click here. […]

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Looking Back and Planning Ahead: Examining Global Best Practices in Communication for Inactivated Polio Vaccination Introduction in Rwanda

The global polio community is committed to ensuring that all countries currently using oral polio vaccination (OPV) add at least one dose of inactivated polio vaccination (IPV) to their immunization schedules. Globally, communication efforts have been at the forefront of polio eradication programs for more than 25 years. This article combines research from secondary and […]

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Evidence-Based Engagement of the Somali Pastoralists of the Horn of Africa in Polio Immunization: Overview of Tracking, Cross-Border, Operations, and Communication Strategies

Building on the experience of the 2013–2014 wild poliovirus outbreak in the Horn of Africa, this study examines applied strategies that helped to engage pastoralists of the Somali cluster (Somalia, Somali Region of Ethiopia, and North-East Kenya) in supplementary immunization activities. Aimed at being applicable to other public health interventions, the study synthesizes knowledge about […]

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Variations in the Uptake of Routine Immunization in Nigeria: Examining Determinants of Inequitable Access

Globally, immunization prevents an estimated 2–3 million deaths among under-5 children, yet in Nigeria, only 25% of children ages 12–23 months are fully immunized. There are also marked disparities in the uptake of immunizations, largely attributable to the context within which families live and seek health care. The authors assessed the individual and state determinants […]

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Community Engagement, Routine Immunization, and the Polio Legacy in Northern Nigeria

The Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria; Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Initiative (PRRINN-MNCH) was a project funded by the UK Department of International Development and the Norwegian government that used an integrated approach to strengthen health services and increase community demand for and access to quality health care. Baseline and endline population-based […]

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Report on MCSP Support for the Polio Switch in April 2016

In April 2016, the largest and fastest globally-coordinated project in the history of immunization was carried out in 155 countries and territories. Known as “the switch,” this activity entailed replacing trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV), which protects against all three strains of the poliovirus, with the bivalent form (bOPV) which protects against two strains, types […]

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Redefining Immunization: Not Just a Shot in the Arm

The persistence and periodic resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases have raised questions about the determinants of poor immunization coverage. In Sub-Saharan Africa, traditional health practitioners (THPs) play a major role in providing health care and health education, particularly in rural areas where Western health care is unavailable. The project, Immunization Advocacy: Saving Lives of Africa’s Children, […]

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Maternal and Child Survival Program