The CORE Group Polio Project’s Community Volunteers and Polio Eradication in Ethiopia: Self-Reports of Their Activities, Knowledge, and Contributions

Abstract

In 2001, the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) began to support polio eradication initiatives in hard-toreach pastoralist and semi-pastoralist high-risk border areas of Ethiopia by training and supporting community volunteers (CVs) for immunization promotion and community-based surveillance activities. This article describes the development and current status of the CGPP CV network in Ethiopia. It also reports the results of a 2016 survey of CVs. Community volunteers are selected jointly by the local community, local government officials, and local health facility staff. They work closely with the health extension worker in their area and are responsible for 50-100 households. More than 12,000 CVs have been trained and have reached six million people. They make routine home visits to 1) provide education on vaccinepreventable diseases, 2) promote healthy behaviors, 3) inform parents on how to access immunization services, and 4) report cases of acute flaccid paralysis, neonatal tetanus, and measles as well as births. The 2016 survey of 675 CVs demonstrated that 84.1% had conducted home visits in the previous month to 1) identify and register pregnant mothers and newborns, 2) provide health education, 3) conduct disease surveillance, and 4) search for and register immunization defaulters. Of the CVs, 98.2% reported that their work had led to improvements in the community. Knowledge of CVs about vaccine-preventable diseases was suboptimal. CVs expressed a desire for more training. Community volunteers have made notable contributions to polio eradication efforts in high-risk areas of Ethiopia as well as to immunization promotion and disease control more broadly.

Use of Social Mobilization and Community Mobilizers by Non-governmental Health Organizations in Malawi to Support the Eradication of Polio, Improve Routine Immunization Coverage, and Control Measles and Neonatal Tetanus

“…Although the programs of some of the organizations included in this study do not directly focus on the eradication of polio and control of measles and neonatal tetanus, their activities do embrace community-based surveillance which targets infectious diseases such as polio and measles. The integration of community-based surveillance for infectious diseases, other medical conditions, and vital events registration (of births and deaths) has supported polio eradication efforts in India, 25 Ethiopia, 26 and South Sudan. 27…”

The role of the Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program in developing countries: the experience of Kenya

“…During the study period, the STOP 52 team enhanced active surveillance by actively searching for and reporting cases that met standard case definitions [14], which is the primary means of detecting the poliovirus [15]. The team was able to detect missed AFP cases at health facilities and the community.…”

Trust, Communication, and Community Networks: How the CORE Group Polio Project Community Volunteers Led the Fight against Polio in Ethiopia’s Most At-Risk Areas

“…The CGPP's Ethiopian CV program is discussed elsewhere in this series. 9 Rugged terrain, widely scattered population settlements, weak health service systems, limited participation of key community members in planning of vaccination activities, and well-traveled porous borders with polio-endemic areas pose the greatest challenges to control polio transmission in Ethiopia. These barriers result in low community awareness about polio vaccination and acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance.…”