(task) Outsmarting Polio (Paid Post by Gates Foundation From The New York Times)

GRS

4 cover

polio, infectious disease, health

> http://paidpost.nytimes.com/gates-foundation/outsmarting-polio.html?WT.mc_id=2016-May-NYTNative_hpmod-GatesPolio-0509-0703&WT.mc_ev=click?module=PaidPostDriver&region=PaidPostMOTH&pgType=Homepage&action=click <http://paidpost.nytimes.com/gates-foundation/outsmarting-polio.html?WT.mc_id=2016-May-NYTNative_hpmod-GatesPolio-0509-0703&WT.mc_ev=click?module=PaidPostDriver&region=PaidPostMOTH&pgType=Homepage&action=click>
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> Outsmarting Polio (Paid Post by Gates Foundation From The New York Times)
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> A Model Emerges in Nigeria
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> It was in Nigeria that the EOC became a new approach in the fight against polio. In 2008, an outbreak <http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_06_18/en/> of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in the northern part of the country prompted heightened attention to the region. Plenty of obstacles lay in the path of progress in this part of the world. Those battling the disease were forced to contend with everything from the fierce temperatures and local conflicts to the extreme remoteness of the communities that needed to be reached.
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> In 2012, to support the eradication push, a strategic approach was introduced — the EOC. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EOCs were established, loosely modeled <http://www.cdc.gov/phpr/eoc.htm> on plans in place at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to monitor and coordinate emergency responses to public health threats in the U.S. and elsewhere. A national EOC was set up in Abuja, the capital, and regional versions followed.
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> “We had the human resources, but what was missing was the coordination,” says Dr. Andrew Etsano, incident manager at Nigeria’s National Polio Emergency Operations Center. “We were able to bring all of the partners together under one roof, and they were able to harmonize all the different analyses under one system.”
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> In northern Nigeria, setting up these kinds of facilities was not easy. “The quality of buildings is quite poor,” says Evelyn Castle, executive director and co-founder of eHealth Africa (eHA). “You can’t get high quality equipment and printers. And in Kano state, where one of the first EOCs was, you might see two hours of public power a day if you’re lucky, so you’re running off a generator.”
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> With Gates Foundation funding, modern structures were renovated and furniture was brought in, as well as high-quality printers and TV monitors that could display data. Local telecommunications companies brought fiber-optic Internet connections for videoconferencing and other services to the region. Satellite technology enabled detailed mapping of the region so that teams did not miss even the smallest, most remote settlement.
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> Technology and data are not the only factors behind the success of the EOCs. “It became a center where all partners came under one roof, and had one approach, one plan, all decisions were very participatory,” says Unicef’s Hossaini. “So everyone was reading from the same page.”