Table 1.

List of Key Activities and Innovations Used to Address Key Constraints Facing the Polio Program in Nigeria, 2012–2013

Activity/Innovation	Issue Addressed	Application	Key Results
Dashboard	Lack of ownership and accountability at all levels in the program	Used to monitor preparedness and execution of SIAs	Real time monitoring of program activities with feedback to key officials at the state and LGA levels
EOC management structure	Lack of strategic direction and coordination among partners	Creation of EOCs at the national and state level (n = 5)	Better use of data for strategic decisions; improved communication among partners; coordinated response
Engagement of traditional and religious leaders	Lack of community support for polio vaccination activities; concerns about vaccine safety	Creation of committees at community level to support program activities; engagement of leaders in planning and monitoring of activities	Improved community acceptance and compliance
Use of LQAS to monitor campaign performance	Poor quality campaign performance	Monitor quality of campaign at the LGA level	Useful tool to monitor trends in quality of campaign; identification of high-risk LGAs
Outreach to underserved	Communities that are chronically missed during SIAs	Use of SOP for outreach to underserved communities	Identification and naming of missed settlements; improved surveillance in remote communities; vaccination of 0-dose communities
Volunteer community mobilizers	Noncompliance and lack of community support for polio vaccination	Recruitment of local female volunteers to support program activities in high-risk wards	Better community acceptance of routine infant immunization and polio vaccination during SIA
National Stop Transmission of Polio officers	Low coverage for routine infant immunization	Assignment of officers in 100 high-risk LGAs to support routine infant immunization	Applied training in routine infant immunization with focus on outreach to underserved communities
Doctors Against Polio	Noncompliance	Locally recruited medical providers to address community concerns during SIAs	Improved community acceptance; engagement of broader medical community to address concerns about vaccine safety
Polio survivor’s group	Noncompliance	Engagement of polio survivors to address noncompliance during SIAs	Improved community awareness of polio risk; reduction in noncompliance
Vaccinator tracking	Poor vaccinator team performance	GIS tracking of vaccinator teams with real-time feedback during SIAs	Better monitoring of team performance; improved accountability
Management support teams	Poor campaign planning and execution	Management team deployed by all partners to high-risk LGAs to support SIA planning and implementation.	Improved quality of SIAs
Health Camps	Unmet health needs in community	Establishment of health camps in high risk communities to provide additional primary health care services.	Greater acceptance of polio vaccine in high risk communities.

Abbreviations: EOC, emergency operations center; GIS, geographic information system; LGA, local government authority; LQAS, lot quality assurance sampling; SIA, supplemental immunization activity; SOP, standard operating procedure.