Humanitarian Pandemic Preparedness (H2P) MAA00018 - Annual Report

This 7-page report from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) examines the financial and technical support the organisation has offered to its National Societies as they prepare for and/or respond to an outbreak of pandemic influenza (H2P) in their respective countries. Covering the period January 1 to December 31 2009, the report demonstrates that the programme's success has not been possible without ongoing collaboration and coordination with multiple implementing partners, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) agencies, local governments, and other partners.

Specifically, with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) funding, the IFRC has provided all 186 National Societies with basic guidance and an H1N1 communications campaign called "Your Best Defence Is You". Furthermore, IFRC is providing more comprehensive support for preparedness and response projects to 96 National Societies and their communities. Health, Food Security, Livelihoods, and Communications working groups consisting of IFRC and partner organisations have developed tools, materials, guidelines, and a website for pandemic preparedness and response. These and other efforts are designed to help National Societies:

• develop partnerships;
• train volunteers and community leaders;
• initiate pandemic preparedness and response plans that detail: priority tasks; overall strategy, roles and responsibilities; and monitoring and evaluation plans, including indicators;
• provide consistent humanitarian pandemic preparedness messages and tools in the areas of health, food security, and livelihood; and
• carry out ongoing in-country coordination with all stakeholders.

Specific achievements cited in the document include:

• The IFRC has accelerated the pace of the H2P programme at the global and country level, and has now expanded it to cover 96 countries. Among those 96 countries, 26 National Societies are implementing "H2P long" (comprehensive preparedness and response) projects, 47 are implementing H2P "accelerated projects" (emergency response), and 23 have received H2P mini funds to conduct countrywide communication campaigns.
• In cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), United Nations System Influenza Coordination (UNSIC), the UN Pandemic Influenza Coordination (UNPIC), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), IFRC published to all National Societies on August 21 2009 a "call to action" summarising the coming steps essential to responding to the pandemic, and urging National Societies to respond. Communication-related immediate activities that were suggested included: reduce the spread of disease by disseminating risk communication material and re-affirm the need to partner and coordinate at the country level.
• The IFRC developed and distributed a "ready-to-use package" to all 186 National Societies during the first week of September 2009. The package included: basic guidance covering the three essential elements of a response (business continuity planning, protection of staff and volunteers, and effective pandemic mitigation and response activities); guidance for implementing and adapting (for local language and/or context) the aforementioned "Your Best Defence Is You" campaign, including 6 posters with key messages to promote non-pharmaceutical interventions, a radio script, and a 30-second video clip; and a web-based e-learning package for National Society staff and volunteers, as well as the general public. Many National Societies have used this package to train their volunteers and inform their communities, including by conducting training on preventive measures in communities and in schools. At least 25 National Societies have formal agreements with their ministries of education to help prepare for and respond to the pandemic.
• The H2P country plan has been adapted and refined into a plan of action. Mini workshops were conducted in nearly every zone to prepare National Societies to complete the country plan or plan of action. Additional mini workshops were conducted at InterAction-led meetings. Approximately 30% of National Societies with signed projects have begun completing either the original country plan or the more recent plan of action.
• At least 38 National Societies have conducted briefing sessions and coordination meetings with government authorities, UN agencies, and NGOs in order to coordinate efforts and develop action plans.
• 16 National Societies have conducted mapping activities and identified focal persons and existing response capacities to coordinate work and to avoid duplication.
• 7 National Societies conducted simulation exercises that "proved to be very useful to sensitize government authorities and other agencies to the pandemic situation." For example, The Gambia Red Cross Society (GRCS) initiated such an exercise to highlight priority areas for rapid response, coordination, surveillance, prevention, control, and communication. Other partner organisations were encouraged to replicate the GRCS experience.
• More than 30 National Societies have conducted workshops to adapt existing H2P training curricula to address generic health, food security, and livelihood messages for in-country use. For example, Nepal Red Cross Society conducted 3 trainings for 90 health professionals in Kathmandu and Nawalparasi, 2 trainings for 58 community leaders in Ilam, and 5 trainings for 125 female community health workers in 3 districts. To increase country coverage, the Nepal Red Cross Society also conducted one-day trainings in 10 districts to reach 511 staff, volunteers, and partner organisations' representatives.
• 25 National Societies have trained volunteers and community members as first responders during an influenza outbreak. In South Africa, for example, the National Society organised trainings for 754 volunteers and 1,874 staff, as well as for 278 staff members from other NGOs. The community was approached through 685 campaigns reaching 373 taxi ranks (approximately 7295 people), 418 shopping malls (approximately 11,220 people), and 135 schools (135,000 pupils). Over 35,149 individuals were reached through 363 door-to-door activities.
• National Societies printed and distributed posters, leaflets, and brochures, and ran radio messages or the H1N1 video clip on local channels. Several innovative ideas were reported, such as the adaptation of H1N1 preventive messages on children's school diaries and paper games by the Yemen Red Crescent Society.

A series of constraints and challenges is described next. For instance, delays in testing and revising working group material and subsequent delays in translating and finalising the materials have reportedly caused some anxiety among zone staff, who felt pressured by National Societies in their regions. Efforts have been made to alleviate this pressure by forming working groups to revise and publish shorter and more simplified material for immediate use by zones.

Looking ahead, the IFRC plans to continue its current activities of coordinating, reviewing, and updating material, as well as follow up on the progress of country projects. "Since the media focus has shifted from the H1N1 pandemic, the IFRC and the communications working group will be working on the development of a new message to address pandemic threats beyond the H1N1 crisis. Furthermore, IFRC will strive to sustain the good practices and behavioural change messages by mainstreaming activities with regular programmes."