PRRINN – Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria

• Project Overview
• Activities and Highlights
• Contact Information

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Northern Nigeria has some of the lowest immunization coverage rates in the country.  The percentage of fully immunized children in the North West and North East zones has remained below 6% since 2003.  Supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) have accounted for almost half the immunizations in the North West zone in 2003.  These SIAs have continued and increased in recent years in an effort to eradicate polio and they have added on other vaccines and/or health benefits to increase their attractiveness to the public. Widespread inequities persist in immunization coverage.  Children of parents in the lowest socio-economic quintile are nearly 12 times less likely to be immunized than children of parents in the highest.  Significant inequities are also associated with low literacy and rural residence.

Despite the increased level of effort and resources devoted to the immunization program in Nigeria and especially to polio eradication in Northern Nigeria by all levels of the Nigerian government and donor partners, immunization uptake remains low in the four PRRINN implementation states.  Full immunization rates range from 0.0% to 5.7% and rates for OPV-3 range from 12% to 21% despite multiple supplemental polio vaccine campaigns each year since 2003.

It is estimated that 22% of childhood deaths and morbidity can be prevented through routine immunization.  Moreover, the immunization problems in Nigeria are threatening to compromise the situation in neighbouring countries and pose a considerable threat to the achievement of global polio eradication and other child health goals.

A renewed commitment from the Federal Government to improve routine immunization has led to the launching by DFID of PRRINN (Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria).  The program is focused in four northern states (Jigawa, Katsina, Yobe and Zamfara).  The goal is to improve immunization coverage in a sustainable manner with routine immunization system strengthening as an entry point for strengthening the primary health care (PHC) system. PRRINN is a consortium of three prime partners (HPI, Save the Children UK and GRID) and three sub-prime partners (JHU/CCP, PATH and HERFON).

CCP’s role on PRRINN is to provide the program with technical expertise in communication. More specifically, CCP designs the appropriate communication strategies, communication training and support, and the implementation of communication methodologies designed to create increased demand for, and improve the supply of, routine immunization services in the program states.  This includes operational research and community mobilization.

ACTIVITIES AND HIGHLIGHTS

Operational research: Operational research provides evidence for strategic planning, capacity building, and operations management of routine immunization. Activities include a detailed baseline systems assessment, a catchment area mapping process, operations research into acquisition of routine immunization supplies and their distribution, assessment of national epidemiology technical capacity, and associated training, a cost-effectiveness analysis of routine immunization, and a 100% audit of cold chain equipment in the program states and LGAs.

PRRINN Household Baseline Survey, July/August 2007: Report of Pertinent Findings

Community mobilization/social development: One of the goals of PRRINN is to increase community participation in demand and supply side of routine immunization services. CCP draws on its experience from two other Nigeria projects, COMPASS and PATHS, to strengthen the evidence base on immunization demand, maximize community participation in the design, deliver and review of routine immunization services and create an enabling policy environment for demand creation and engagement efforts.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Kate Stratten, Senior Program Officer
kstratte@jhuccp.org
111 Market Place, Suite 310
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-659-6300

Susan Aradeon, Social Development and Mobilization Advisor
PRRINN Office, Kano
saradeon@yahoo.com
+ 234 806 8076723