Nigeria
Communication to Reduce Malaria and High Mortality Childhood Illnesses: Home-Based Care Approach
Activity Dates
2002-2004
Overview
HCP, BASICS II, and Population Services International/Society for Family Health (PSI/SFH) worked to promote home-based care and treatment of malaria with pre-packaged tablets available from Patent Medicine Vendors (PMVs) in two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Abia State, Nigeria. HCP provided technical assistance for the development of the PMV training curriculum and supporting BCC materials. The training and BCC messages focused on immediate treatment of children under five with fever using pre-packaged doses of chloroquine or sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP), immediate referral of children with signs of severe illness, and use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) to prevent malaria.
Implementation
BCC materials included shop identifiers, a caregiver manual, job aids, an information booklet for PMVs, stickers, and radio spots. The radio spots focused on the early treatment of malaria and the promotion of PMVs who had participated in the training on the use of pre-packaged drugs for home based care of malaria.
HCP also developed a job aid for counseling pregnant women on how to prevent malaria through the use of ITNs and intermittent preventive treatment (IPT).
Again in collaboration with BASICS II, HCP implemented child survival interventions in 20 LGAs in Lagos, Abia, and Kano States. The focus of this collaboration was on improving the counseling and community mobilization skills of community health workers; encouraging routine immunization; promoting home based care of malaria and promoting exclusive breastfeeding for infants. To this end, HCP worked to build skills and develop simple resources for community health promoters as part of the BASICS "Community Area Planning and Action" (CAPA) program.
HCP also collaborated with BASICS and the Lagos State Ministry of Health to conduct Nigeria's first ever "Child Health Week" focusing on Vitamin A supplementation and immunization. High-level advocacy visits to her Excellency the wife of Lagos State Governor, and to the Honorable Commissioners for Health and Education for government’s visible endorsement and support. Her Excellency Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu flagged off the Child Health Week and the occasion attracted over a 1,000 men and women. The flag-off ceremony was widely broadcast on radio and television in Lagos and reported in the newspapers. Over seven million people were reached with the message as a result. Radio jingles using two role models – Dr. Jide Idris, the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and Chief Christy Essien-Igbokwe, a respected mother and entertainer- were produced in Yoruba and English and aired 456 times, reaching over five million people of Lagos State. As part of Child Health Week. 40 school children were invited to contribute artwork and decorations for a road show vehicle which traveled through 20 Lagos LGAs reaching half a million people with messages on Vitamin A and Child Health Week. HCP led the training of over 2,500 Health Workers in Interpersonal Communication and Counseling in collaboration with Lagos State Ministry of Health and BASICS II. “Child Health Week” was also then implemented in Kano State.
Materials and Tools
Research Reports/Publications
Audience
Service providers, caretakers of children under 6, pregnant women, and Patent Medicine Vendors
Partners
Abia State Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Health, the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), BASICS II, PSI/SFH, Catchment Area Planning and Action Committees (CAPA), Lagos State Ministry of Health, and Kano State Ministry of Health.
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Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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