Reaching the Un-Reached: Communication Support for the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative

This was presented at the June 2004 UNICEF meeting dedicated to examining communication in the context of the final push to eradicate polio, and was the first of 6 country-specific presentations made by communication practitioners in the 6 remaining polio endemic countries.

The campaign to eradicate polio in Pakistan is a combined effort led by the government of Pakistan, working in partnership with UNICEF, WHO, and various other partners. It is based on the premise that, in order to effect the eradication of polio, the communication strategies must reach the persistent, low-level transmission virus reservoirs that are typically characterised by: impoverished families, living in multi-family homes, parents with no formal education, and children under 2 years old.

Awareness of the polio campaigns in these high-risk populations is created via television, friends/relatives, and mosque announcements, approximately equally among the three. Among the urban populations, TV is the dominant media, accounting for 73% of awareness, while friends/relatives are a negligible source of information. Pakistan embraces two complementary strategies. A broad general strategy aimed at maintaining general levels of awareness and commitment. A second strategy focuses on intensified grass-roots level communication targeting high-risk populations. A significant communication objective, particularly among high-risk populations, is to increase the level of household knowledge and participation. This is to be effected in part by increased interpersonal communication and the inclusion of female vaccinators. Specific activities planned for 2004 include advocacy and partnerships (e.g., advocacy to increase lady health worker participation in immunisation activities), training (e.g., an interpersonal communication (IPC) component included in training and the development of training manuals in regional languages), programme communication (e.g., tag line - "two drops of OPV [oral polio vaccine], every child, every time"), social mobilisation (e.g., pre-campaign visits), mass media (e.g., TV, radio, newspaper), planning, monitoring and evaluation (e.g., finger marking).

Results to date include: 62% of vaccinator teams have at least one female, >96% of all vaccinator teams trained for each SIA, development of broad civic and community partnerships, and incorporation of links to routine immunisation.

Click here to download the full presentation as a PDF file.