LOOK AT THIS IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN:
Examining the necessary activities and measures to implement safe house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns during COVID-19, if your country team has completed a risk assessment and determined that it is safe to continue implementing house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns.
HOW YOU CAN USE THIS MATERIAL:
Make a detailed plan to ensure the safety of health workers and the community while conducting house-to-house polio vaccination within the context of COVID-19.
OVERVIEW:
The purpose of this document is to provide specific guidance to national and sub-national program managers who will be supporting frontline workers for the safe implementation of house-to-house polio immunization campaigns in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key Points:
- The planning for house-to-house polio campaigns within the context of COVID19 will require additional logistics specific for ensuring the safety of both the health workers and the community. These additional requirements, including estimates for personal protective equipment (PPE), should be factored into the campaign microplanning.
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) requirements, including mask-wearing, should be determined according to the local COVID-19 situation and be aligned with the global IPC guidelines. A minimum standard for prevention, including maintaining hand hygiene and social distance as outlined in this document, should apply in all contexts.
- When selecting members of the vaccination team, all members should be under 50 years of age, healthy, active, with no chronic lung/heart disease or COVID-19 related symptoms.
- Training on all protocols, including the changes specific to conducting a campaign during COVID-19, should be demonstrated prior to the campaign. Safety measures must be in place at the training venue and attention should be given to raising health worker morale.