Ethiopia

Monthly Update

December 2011-January 2012

• Ethiopia has not seen any case of WPV since the spring of 2008 and only one case of WPV was reported in the whole of the Horn of Africa in 2011, which was in Western Kenya.
• The cause for concern  regarding two cases of suspected polio infection reported among Somali refugees residing in camps in Dollo Ado,  Ethiopia, has been suspended as final lab results proved negative at the National Polio Lab on Jan. 17th, 2012. A nation-wide polio campaign is scheduled to start on the 27th of January which is expected to cover all the refugee camps.
• Already planned from the last HoA-TAG meeting recommendation, the Somali Region of Ethiopia which is hosting the refugee community will conduct a bOPV SIA in Feb 2012 to boost population immunity.
• CGE director and Program Officers participated in a woreda based planning meeting that was organized by the FMOH.

September-November 2011

• No new WPV cases have been reported since the spring of 2008. In 2010 there were five vaccine-derived polio virus cases reported in eastern Ethiopia.
• Participants from IRC and World Vision Assosa field offices and the regional health bureau attended the LQAS training conducted by secretariat staff in Assosa. The September CORE Group partners’ meeting focused on the upcoming Sub-National Immunization Days (SNIDs). The ICC technical committee, comprised of CORE Group partners, also made the Oct. 2011 SNIDs its top priority, planning to target “hard to reach” communities bordering with Kenya, North and South Sudan and Somalia. Most of these border communities are CGE implementation areas.
• During November, a second round of polio SIAs was conducted in districts and zones that border with the Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya. CGPP/E supported the campaign in the Benshangul Gumuz Region, assisting in micro-planning, training of supervisors, logisticsand monitoring of the implementation of the campaign. CGPP volunteers also participated in social mobilization activities at the community level.
• The Director of the CGPP/E Secretariat attended the GAVI Civil Society Organizations Constituency Steering Committee meeting held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in November.

August 2011

• Ethiopia still has detected no polio cases since the spring of 2008.
• The risk that the virus might resurface has increased because of the drought confronting the horn of Africa. The drought has led to scaling back and delays in supplementary immunization activities in Ethiopia and some other East African countries like Kenya, Uganda and Eretria due shortage of funding in the 1st quarter of 2011, leaving children more vulnerable to the virus. The effect of the drought on their immunity will also make children more susceptible to polio infection. Some polio eradication staff have been involved in the drought response and child health days in Ethiopia to help boost children’s immunity to polio among refugees. More resources and capacity building might be needed to prevent an outbreak.
• The CGPP Ethiopia staff received LQAS (Lot Quality Assurance Sampling) refresher training. The Secretariat Director attended the SNNRP health sector annual review and community based integrated Disease Surveillance and Response scale up meeting in Wolayita zone and emphasized the important role CGPP has played in complementing the formal MOH/WHO systems.

July 2011

• Ethiopia has not reported a case of wild poliovirus since the spring of 2008.
• The Dolo Ado refugee camp in Ethiopia has been hardest hit with incidence of measles outbreaks, closely related to polio outbreaks due to the common cause of low immunization coverage. The overall situation of crowding and deteriorating health conditions of refugee children lend themselves to possible increased outbreaks.
• CGPP Partners Annual Planning Forum was conducted from July 25-29 at CCRDA training Center, Addis Ababa. A total of 91 participants from woreda health offices, regional health bureaus representatives, partner field and head office staffs attended. Participants gave updates of current immunization, new vaccine introduction, SIAs and surveillance, presented on project progress and best practice.

May/June 2011

• Ethiopia has not reported a case of wild polio virus since the spring of 2008. The first African vaccination week was celebrated in Addis Ababa on May 4th. Media announcements and government community health workers encouraged participation. Additionally, the Ethiopian branch of the continent-wide campaign entitled “Put mothers first; vaccinate and stop polio now” took place from May 2nd-7th.
• A ten-day training course on Operational Research was conducted for 21 CORE partners, CCRDA staff and Program Officers. Six Operational Research proposals were developed to be conducted in different CGPP implementation woredas.

January- April 2011

• Ethiopia has not reported a case of wild poliovirus since the spring of 2008.  A vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) case reported late last year was found to be unrelated to VDPV cases confirmed earlier in the year, providing some evidence that earlier VDPV cases have not been circulating.
• Ethiopia held a National Integrated Measles and Polio SIA in four regions in mid-February.  In addition to social mobilization and logistics and micro-planning support provided by CGPP partners and volunteers in their respective areas, Secretariat Program Officers deployed to Gambella, Beneshangul Gumuz, and Afar to provide technical support, which included training campaign supervisors, conducting intra- and post-campaign rapid convenience assessments, and actively participating in all debriefings and review meetings.
• CGPP-Ethiopia submitted a proposal to the USAID Mission in Ethiopia to expand project activities and geographic coverage.  They are awaiting a response.
• Ethiopia did not hold supplemental polio campaigns in January.  A Child Health Day (to include polio vaccination) is currently scheduled to cover several regional states in late February.
•    The CGPP coordinates community-based surveillance networks in Ethiopia and Angola to identify cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) that might not otherwise reach the formal health system.  For example, a CGPP volunteer in Ethiopia, under the supervision of the International Rescue Committee, identified a suspected case of unreported AFP in the community, referred the case to the nearby health post, and followed up with health staff to confirm the case had been seen at the facility. The volunteer’s efforts resulted in the timely collection of a stool.

September 2010

• Ethiopia last confirmed a case of wild poliovirus within its borders in April 2008.  In 2010, a total of five vaccine-derived poliovirus cases have appeared in Ethiopia, with the most recent reported in May. CGPP Program Officers were again deployed in September to support a sub-national immunization day in participating project areas in Somali region in eastern Ethiopia.  Local partner NGOs, Pastoralist Concern and Hararghe Catholic Secretariat, activated CGPP volunteers to assist vaccination teams and encourage community participation in activities.  The September campaign is the latest in a series held to address the suboptimal vaccination rates in these areas that allow vaccine-derived polioviruses to develop and circulate.
• In collaboration with the federal Ministry of Health, the WHO and UNICEF, the CGPP conducted a joint advocacy meeting with SNNPR Regional Health Bureau officials to encourage their buy-in and participation as stakeholders prepare for the upcoming integrated polio and measles campaign in October.