This month, the Health Campaign Effectiveness (HCE) Coalition adds eight new awards to its portfolio of research projects. Over the next six months, the recipients, who are based in six countries across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South America, will each develop a case study on the collaborative planning, pre-implementation, and negotiation phases of integrated health campaigns.
“We are thrilled to expand our research portfolio with these projects,” said Dr. Kristin Saarlas, Director for the Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition. “Our hope is that these teams will work collaboratively to surface promising practices that can be applied to future campaign planning.”
Awardees will be answering questions such as:
- What criteria or other factors do health campaign managers and other decision makers consider in identifying the campaigns and geographic areas where an integrated campaign might be feasible in the COVID-19 context?
- What does each stakeholder (or agency) involved in campaign planning see as the potential benefits or challenges of an integrated campaign? What are their metrics for success?
- What approaches and processes are used to initiate and foster dialogue among government and partner organizations and actively engage stakeholders in the planning process? What enables or hinders this collaborative planning process?
The eight case studies are:
“Rationale, effectiveness and feasibility of integration of MDA for Lymphatic Filariasis, Deworming and Pulse Polio programmes in India – A Case Study” conducted by PATH in India
For this project, PATH will collaborate with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Women and Child Development, Department of Education, and Department of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development to study the mass drug administration (MDA) for Lymphatic Filariasis (LF), deworming, and Pulse Polio. Full integration (simultaneous administration) will be pursued between the LF and deworming programs due to the similarities in human resources and planning/review processes. Partial integration with Pulse Polio will be pursued due to the overlap in age of target population, robust training/monitoring process, and improved ability to reach vulnerable populations.
View the project launch presentation.
“Planning and Piloting an Integrated Disease Control Campaign in Uttar Pradesh” conducted by International Institute of Health Management Research (IIHMR) in India
This study will address childhood vaccination inclusive of OPV/IPV, lymphatic filariasis, soil transmitted helminths (STH), Vitamin A, screening for hypertension and diabetes mellitus, and COVID-19 communication. IIHMR will collaborate with the Uttar Pradesh Health Department and Ministries of Health and Family Welfare, Women and Child, Education, Water and Sanitation and other partners including academicians from institutes, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) and local NGOs representing the civil society. IIHMR draws on their experience working on the National Leprosy Eradication Programme with the Government of India.
View the project launch presentation.
“A Case Study on the Collaborative Campaign Planning (of Vitamin A Supplementation and Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis) in Nepal: Prospects and Challenges of Integration” conducted by Health, Education, Agriculture and Logistics (HEAL) Group in Nepal
HEAL Group will collaborate with the Ministry of the Health and several program divisions to study campaigns on Vitamin A supplementation and Lymphatic Filariasis. HEAL Group draws on their experience working on the National Vitamin A Program, the Child Immunization Program, and the Effective Vaccine Management Initiative with key partners such as the Department of Health Services.
View the project launch presentation.
“Lessons from the integrated mOPV2 and Vitamin A supplementation campaign the context of COVID-19 in Ghana” conducted by UNICEF Ghana, on behalf of The Research and Development Division (RDD) of the Ghana Health Service in Ghana
This case study will focus on a project in which UNICEF collaborated with the RDD, Family Health Division (FHD), and National Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of Ghana Health Services. UNICEF draws on their experience convening and coordinating in different sectors in Ghana including Health, Nutrition, WASH Child Protection, and Social Protection & Monitoring/Evaluation.
View the project launch presentation.
“Improving the effectiveness of an integrated campaign against epidemics of meningitis A and measles through collaborative planning” conducted by Health & Sustainable Development Foundation & Center of Excellence for Training and Research on Priority Diseases in Guinea (FOSAD/CEFORPAG in French) in Guinea
For this project, FOSAD – CEFORPAG will collaborate with the National Directorate of Community Health, the National Directorate for the Fight against Major Endemics and the Fight against Diseases, and its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), the National Social Security Agency, the National Institute of Public Health, and UGAN/University of Conakry. The FOSAD-CEFORPAG Executive Director has a long experience of working on research in integrated health campaigns, vaccine surveillance and development in many countries, and implementation of the national community health policy in population enumeration and mapping with national agencies.
View the project launch presentation.
“Scaling Up Access to Preventive Malaria Intervention Through an Integrated Campaign Approach” conducted by Ibolda Health International in Nigeria
The project will address the integration of seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) and distribution of insecticide treated nets (ITN), which target the same disease and similar population. Ibolda Health International will collaborate with the National Malaria Elimination Programme and associated sub-committees, and hopes that this project could represent a possible shift towards a door-to-door strategy for both interventions following the onset of COVID-19. Ibolda Health International draws on their experience working in malaria, polio, and HIV/AIDS mitigation efforts with key partners, such as the Federal Ministry of Health, Global Fund, NACA, and NMEP.
View the project launch presentation.
“A retrospective study of lessons learnt from the 2019/2020 implementation of Measles and Meningitis A integrated campaigns in Northern Nigeria in the context of COVID – a case study of Kogi, Niger and Kwara States” conducted by The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) in Nigeria
In this project, which focuses on Measles and Meningitis A, CHAI will collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Health and the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NBS, and NCDC. CHAI draws on their experience working on delivery of supplemental immunization campaigns (SIA) and mass vaccination campaigns with key partners in the Government of Nigeria.
View the project launch presentation.
“Implementation of a Primary Health Care Model Emphasizing Neglected Infectious Diseases in Caño Cubiyu de Vaupés” conducted by the School of Medicine of the University of the Andes in Colombia
This project targets the indigenous population of Vaupés, an Amazonian region which is only accessible by 8 hours in a boat. It will address endemic diseases, such as soil transmitted helminthiasis, chagas and trachoma, and aims to identify strategies that can be implemented to modify behaviors related to trachoma and geo-helminthiasis. Partners for the project include the Department of Communicable Diseases of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Directorate of Vector-borne Diseases of the Vaupés Health Secretariat and the indigenous organization of Vaupés Caño Cubiyu.