cVDPV2 Outbreak Response in the Midst of COVID-19 in Ghana: Key Lessons Learned from Communication and Social Mobilisation Strategies and Activities

"Success factors, barriers, and other lessons learned from advocacy, social mobilisation, and community engagement play a pivotal role in supporting cVDPV2 outbreak response."

Although the last confirmed polio case in Ghana had occurred in 2008, in July and August 2019, the country confirmed 3 events of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). From the  onset of the outbreak, the Ministry of Health/Ghana Health Service (MOH/GHS) declared a public health emergency of national concern; consequently, massive house-to-house vaccination campaigns were carried out by GHS and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in various regions. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), a GPEI partner, was one of the key actors in supporting social mobilisation and community engagement in all rounds of the response. In this document, UNICEF Ghana shares key learnings in the area of social mobilisation and community engagement in Ghana's CVDP2 response - especially in light of the fact that it took place in the midst of COVID-19.

Having outlined sources of citizens' information about the polio campaign and examined some of the reasons for vaccine refusal, the document briefly explores:

• Advocacy, communication, and social mobilisation as a main pillar in the response framework;
• Inclusion of a mix of strategies and activities;
• Agile strategies to accommodate changes;
• Innovations;
• Robust microplanning;
• Incorporation of hard-to-reach, high-risk, and special populations;
• Use of mass and social media;
• Training of frontline workers and community mobilisers;
• Strengthening of routine immunisation (RI) with strong community engagement and social mobilisation; and
• Identifying and working with local implementing partners, including civil society organisations (CSOs).

"Though the lessons captured in this article are specific to the polio outbreak response, they can also be tailored to other disease outbreak responses, including to COVID-19."