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. 2022 Feb 28;40(Suppl 1):14.
doi: 10.11604/pamj.supp.2022.40.1.32562. eCollection 2021.

National Stop Transmission of Polio Program support for polio supplemental immunization activities in Nigeria 2012-2016: deployment of management support team

Aboyowa Arayuwa Edukugho  1 , Ndadilnasiya Endie Waziri  1 , Omotayo Bolu  2 , Saheed Oluwatoyin Gidado  1 , Lilian Akudo Okeke  1 , Belinda Vernyuy Uba  1 , Jibrin Manu Idris  1 , Charles Akataobi Michael  1 , Joel Oluwasegun Adegoke  1 , Philip Bammeke  1 , Usman Saidu Adamu  3 , Patrick Mboya Nguku  1 , Oladayo Biya  4 , Chima John Ohuanbunwo  4 , John Vertefeuille  4 , Eunice Damisa  4 , Eric Wiesen  4
Affiliations

National Stop Transmission of Polio Program support for polio supplemental immunization activities in Nigeria 2012-2016: deployment of management support team

Aboyowa Arayuwa Edukugho et al. Pan Afr Med J. .

Abstract

Introduction: to support polio eradication activities in Nigeria, in 2012 the National Polio Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) created the Management Support Teams (MST) to address gaps in the quality of supervision of polio vaccination teams. The National Stop Transmission of Polio (NSTOP) Program supported the polio eradication activities by deploying trained supervisors as part of the MST for polio and non-polio immunization campaigns.

Methods: trained MST members were deployed approximately 4 days before the start of the campaign to participate in pre-implementation activities and supervise vaccination teams during campaigns. Terms of reference (TOR) developed by NEOC was provided to MST members to guide their activities. Qualified MSTs that met pre-determined criteria were selected and deployed to the field to support pre, intra and post campaigns activities.

Results: a pool of over 400 MST personnel have been identified, trained, and repeatedly deployed from 2012 till 2016. The number of deployed MST personnel rose from 40 per campaign in October 2012 to 342 in May 2016. Of these, 270 (79%) MST personnel were deployed to 11 polio high-risk states of northern Nigeria, where campaigns are conducted between eight and ten times yearly as planned by NEOC. For measles campaigns, about 300 (75%) MST personnel were deployed for the one-off northern and southern campaigns in 2016. The results of clustered Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) post-campaign vaccination coverage surveys, a measure of campaign quality, of which introduction into the polio program coincided with deployment of MSTs, showed improvement over time, from 10% (very poor quality) in February 2012 to about 90% (good quality) in December 2016.

Conclusion: the deployment of MST personnel increased the number of trained supervisors in the field, frequency of supervisory visits and had a positive impact on the quality of polio campaigns.

Keywords: MST; NEOC; NSTOP; polio; supervision.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
showing the number of deployments per year
Figure 2
Figure 2
schematic diagram showing MST support during campaign
Figure 3
Figure 3
LQAS trend of polio campaigns in Nigeria: 2012-2016
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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