Welcome to the
third issue of Rotavirus Update, a periodic newsletter
bringing you news and information from PATH's Rotavirus Vaccine
Program (RVP).
This issue focuses on a number of activities
planned for 2005—enhanced surveillance projects in Africa and
audience research in Asia and eventually elsewhere. Also included
are new RVP resources—a new RVP brochure and a Latin American
section of the RVP website.
Enhanced Rotavirus Surveillance to
Begin in Six African Countries in Early 2005
Through its partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) and
the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), RVP-funded enhanced rotavirus
surveillance projects will begin in early 2005 in six African
countries. The following local institutions will receive funds to
carry out the surveillance:
- South Africa – Medical University of Southern Africa
(MEDUNSA)
- Malawi – University of Malawi and Liverpool School of
Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- Ghana – Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research
at the University of Ghana
- Tunisia – Laboratory of Microbiology, Farhat Hached
- Kenya – Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)
Each site will conduct a variety of activities, from lab
surveillance with disease burden estimation, to health utilization
surveys and cost studies. MEDUNSA in South Africa will also support
intussusception surveillance. These surveillance projects are
building on pre-existing efforts; each site was chosen because it
had at least two years of existing surveillance and developed
infrastructure. The CDC and WHO will serve as technical advisors
and, in some sites, as collaborators.
Related to these
activities, RVP is funding WHO-AFRO to support a regional rotavirus
core surveillance network later in 2005. This network will consist
of six to ten countries, with a dedicated surveillance coordinator
based in the Harare office of WHO-AFRO. Duncan Steele, RVP's WHO
liaison, will serve as lead for the coordination of the surveillance
network activities in Africa.
Audience Research Towards the
Development of Key Rotavirus Messages
Understanding current knowledge, beliefs, and misperceptions
about rotavirus is an essential first step to telling the rotavirus
story. Toward this end, RVP is organizing a series of focus groups
and in-depth interviews, asking decision-makers and health care
providers how they would explain rotavirus and rotavirus
immunization to their peers and clients. Their ideas will help guide
global and national advocacy and communication initiatives for RVP
and our partners. Initial audience research activities will begin in
Andhra Pradesh, India, with similar activities to follow in
Thailand, Indonesia, Malawi, and possibly Honduras.
During a
recent meeting in Seattle, Duncan Steele of WHO recalled how, years
ago, some high-level health administrators confused the words
"rotavirus" and "retrovirus," resulting in more than a few misguided
decisions and much embarrassment! Our research teams likely will
document similar "communication challenges" when they go to the
field.
Perhaps you also have anecdotes about rotavirus or
diarrhea-related misunderstandings, confusions, or mistakes. If so,
we would love to hear about them! Please tell us your story by
writing rvpinfo@path.org.
Thank you in advance!
New RVP
Brochure
RVP has a new
brochure, which briefly describes the global burden of rotavirus,
the promise of a vaccine, and RVP's mission. The brochure is
available online in at http://www.path.org/files/RVP_brochure.pdf.
It is also available in Spanish at http://www.path.org/files/RVP_brochure_sp.pdf.
Requests for hard copies can be sent to rvpinfo@path.org.
RVP Website Launches Latin
American Section in Spanish
The RVP website
now features a section for Spanish-speakers, with information on
rotavirus in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as global
rotavirus information translated from other parts of the website.
The goal is to provide a platform for "Data for Decision-makers."
The section provides basic information on rotavirus and links to
recent news headlines pertaining to Latin America, and will be
updated periodically with information on rotavirus in the region.
This Spanish section is linked on RVP's home page or can be accessed
directly at http://www.rotavirusvaccine.org/LAC-Regional.htm.
There will be more regional sections of the RVP website in the near
future, providing "Data for Decision-makers" in respective
countries.
The Rotavirus Vaccine Program is a limited liability company
of PATH.
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