EndPolio: eHealth Africa Supports Cross-Border Vaccination Tracking 

#Endpolio: eHealth Africa Supports Cross-Border Vaccination Tracking
#Endpolio: eHealth Africa Supports Cross-Border Vaccination Tracking

Moshood Isah

The ongoing transmission of the poliovirus in the Lake Chad Basin, the Sahel, and throughout West Africa poses a significant obstacle to achieving global polio eradication targets. This challenge informed the development of a cross-border coordination plan by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

Amid harsh climatic conditions and insecurity, at least 55 million people are facing or expected to face food and nutrition insecurity in 2024, according to the GPEI. With consistent displacement and migration across the region, the risk of importing and exporting poliovirus and other diseases increases. This situation underscores the need for effective collaboration among countries to eliminate the spread of the Circulating Variant Polio Virus 2 (cVPV2)  in the subregion.

As part of the Polio Outbreak Response Campaign (OBR4) for October, eHealth Africa joined other stakeholders in an international cross-border synchronization initiative in communities along the Kebbi State-Niger Republic border. Led by the Kebbi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, eHealth Africa and other polio eradication partners, this initiative is vital for immunizing eligible populations in these critical areas.

During a cross-border supervisory visit to the Daitegi Kanta community in Kamba Kamba Ward, Dandi Local Government Area of Kebbi State, eHealth Africa’s project manager, Comfort Audu, stated that the coordinated campaign aims to ensure that children in border regions receive vaccinations simultaneously. This approach will minimize the risk of unvaccinated populations and help control the spread of cVPV2. Comfort emphasized, “eHealth Africa is happy to provide technical support, especially in deploying innovative technology to improve vaccination reach.”

Dr. Samuel Okiro, a Senior Program Officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), highlighted the importance of simultaneous vaccinations for children residing across borders. He noted that the poliovirus knows no borders and that constant migration means the virus can easily cross from one country to another. “While we cannot prevent people from traveling between border towns, the cross-border synchronization campaign provides an opportunity to immunize eligible children before they continue their journey,” he explained.

Praising the commitment of immigration officials to the polio eradication initiative, Dr. Samuel remarked, “The immigration officers clearly understand the importance of polio immunization. It is commendable that there is a fixed immunization post with various antigens at the border, ensuring that eligible children crossing either side are vaccinated.”

However, Dr. Samuel lamented the lack of sufficient cold chain equipment needed to freeze ice packs and maintain vaccines at the proper temperature. “One of the challenges I observed is that the cold chain system is inadequate, especially at the Local Government Area level, where they are unable to freeze enough ice packs for the following day.”

He also pointed out that the poor condition of roads leading to these communities may impact negatively on the cross-border vaccination campaign. “Some of the roads are in poor condition. When it rains, our teams struggle to reach the immunization sites,” he said.

Finally, he emphasized the importance of Western education in enhancing community knowledge about polio vaccination and other public health interventions. While commending the existence of functional public schools in the communities, he advised that local authorities should address the issue of poor road access to these schools.

With at least 83 cases of circulating variant poliovirus reported in Areas of Intractable Transmission (AIT), plus two states which include Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto   Kaduna, and Niger, States. Kebbi state government, through the  Polio Task Force Committee, led by Deputy Governor Umar Abubakar Tafida, has consistently reiterated its commitment to supporting initiatives that will drive the final push to end polio in the state and beyond.

As a vital partner in polio eradication efforts throughout Nigeria and Africa, eHealth Africa has significantly contributed to establishing Emergency Operation Centers and integrating technologies such as Geographic Information System, and Planfeld. These advancements enhance the planning and execution of polio vaccination programs.

World GIS Day: Underscoring the Impact of Geographic Information Systems in Public Health

– Atef Fawaz

About a fortnight ago, Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra announced that this administration is set to launch a Geospatial data repository along with an Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics System (ECRVS) as the country plans to conduct its first digital census. This is basically in a bid to ensure every part of the country is comprehensively covered as census has continued to prove to be an effective way to ensure equity in  allocation of resources.  This coming a few days before the annual celebration of the World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) day further reiterates the importance of GIS in virtually every sector of the Nigerian economy, especially public health. 

Recently, it seems a lot of experts who have dedicated their lives to designing and implementing digital innovations to solve critical world problems may have not received the appropriate accolades for their efforts. This may be partly due to the proliferation of digital technological solutions across various sectors with varying degrees of efficacy. Thus it is heartwarming to see that the theme of the 2023  World Geographic Information Systems (GIS) day is dedicated to celebrating the immense efforts made by GIS professionals to achieve sustainable impact in solving problems in the area of public health, security, environmental preservation, emergency response and disaster management, geospatial data management and other critical decision making process. 

While it looks simplistic to say GIS is basically the use of maps to inspire change but that’s how the system has consistently been deployed over the years to identify problems, develop solutions and track changes. Importantly, data from geospatial analysis has consistently proven to be instrumental in detecting  and responding  to public health emergencies and natural disasters. This can go a long way in determining where and when relief materials, medical support and even vaccines could be deployed. 

According to the World Health Organisation, by connecting maps, applications, data and people, GIS has the potential of  supporting countries and partners to make informed public health decisions faster and to extend the reach of geospatial information across the organization. For instance, while the world is gradually moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic, the role Geospatial tools played in equitable response to the pandemic cannot be downplayed.  The booming global availability of geospatial information according to – Karin Källander, Global Digital Health Lead, UNICEF, provided unprecedented opportunities that ensured the challenge of equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is met. 

At National and regional level, organizations like ehealth Africa have consistently installed and deployed GIS tools most recently in the fight against polio in Nigeria. The team successfully provided equipment and human resources to support the tracking of Polio Special Intervention campaigns in northern Nigeria. These support to a large extent not just identify hard to reach rural locations that are yet to be covered during vaccination but also track vaccination personnel in the process. As a matter of fact, the use of GIS tools significantly contributed to the mantra of “leaving no one behind when it comes to vaccination and other health interventions. Thus it proves an adequate framework when it comes to equity, coverage and resource allocation. 

Similarly, in March 2012, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a policy recommendation on Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC); a new intervention against plasmodium falciparum malaria. The intervention deployed GIS to monitor the intermittent administration of a curative dose of antimalarial medicine to children at high risk of severe malaria living in areas with seasonal transmission, regardless of whether they are infected with malaria. While providing near real time updates on vaccination coverage, the GIS tracking system also flagged omitted households promoting accountability and transparency during and after  the intervention.

Over the years, GIS professionals have dusted the odds using a geographic approach in addressing unprecedented health challenges like Polio, Malaria, climate change, global warming and most recently, the  COVID-19 pandemic.  Beyond public healthcare interventions, Geospatial tools have been recommended as a critical solution for town planning, development of housing units, polling units location, and fight against insecurity amongst others.

In a nutshell, GIS provides an immense avenue to further amplify the success stories of GIS and importantly the professionals who consistently dedicate time and resources in developing digital solutions that can be tailored to provide context-specific insights.  It will thus be fascinating to see organizations like National Population Commission (NPC), Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Jamitan Tech Nig. Ltd, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), and other critical Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Organizations and Societies collaborate to chart pathways of strengthening GIS and its prospect as the world host  World GIS day.

Atef Fawaz is the Executive Director of eHealth Africa. He is a Complex operations Management and ICT expert with experience in Humanitarian Response and Digital Health