Integrated Human and Animal Vaccination Delivery

Ndadilnasiya Endie Waziri of the the African Field Epidemiology Network in Nigeria will determine whether combining child and animal vaccination programs can reduce the incidence of vaccine preventable diseases in Nigeria. Current programs often fail to reach highly mobile rural communities who raise livestock. This dependency on livestock may make them more agreeable to vaccination programs that offer protection for both their animals and themselves, which would also optimize the use of limited health care resources. They will use GPS-enabled smart phones to map these nomadic communities and their movements. A vaccination strategy will be designed, and key workers in the human and animal health sector will be trained to educate the communities and deliver vaccinations against a variety of diseases including polio for humans and anthrax for livestock. Coverage and cost-effectiveness of the strategy will be evaluated.