LIBERIAN EXPANDED PROGRAM OF IMMUNIZATION (ACCELERATED IMPACT PROJECT)

The Ministry of Health"s Expanded Program for Immunization (EPI) will implement the project with assistance from an Operations Officer (OO) contracted by PASA from the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta, GA. Project activities will be in four areas. (1) The OO will develop and coordinate an ongoing in-country training program for all categories of EPI personnel, including three auto and two general equipment mechanics, all mobile team personnel, and most static unit physician assistants. (2) Supervision of the EPI program will be improved in several ways. Data collection and immunization records on endemic childhood diseases will be upgraded. Assessment teams will be established to evaluate the performance of mobile health teams and of the immunization units at static health centers. The teams will also be trained to help implement the project"s training program. The OO will provide on-the-job training to two counterparts in all areas of the project to upgrade their administrative capacity. (3) The present cold chain will be improved. Personnel responsible for minor repairs and maintenance of refrigerators will be trained. Uniform recording of refrigerator operations will be established so that supervisors can assure that vaccines have been maintained at recommended temperatures. A system to spot check maintenance of vaccines at central stores, static health centers, and during field shipment will also be established. Vaccine distribution systems will be strengthened and regulations for the destruction of unusable vaccines will be enforced. (4) Commodity support for the EPI program will also be provided, including five replacement vehicles for the mobile teams; cold room equipment and a stand-by generator for the cold room at EPI headquarters; 15 immunization jet-guns; and measles vaccine. The project objective is to immunize 75% of children and mothers in target areas, and 50% of children and mothers in the rest of the country, against six endemic diseases.