GRID3 microplanning maps to support non-polio immunisation activities in Nigeria
Having been certified wild polio-free in 2020, Nigeria has ramped up Non-Polio Supplementary Immunisation Activities (NPSIA) with an eye towards attaining herd immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, yellow fever, and meningitis. To that end, Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has partnered with GRID3 to improve microplanning for its NPSIA campaign. The agency is using 9,308 ward-level maps produced by GRID3 to prepare microplans ahead of the next campaign, set to start in November 2021.
“Microplanning” is one of the tools that health workers use to optimally deploy resources—including vaccines and other health-related commodities—to ensure that target populations are reached during immunisation campaigns; maps are a crucial component of this process. After a number of preliminary meetings with health officials to determine needs and gather important information on the scope of the upcoming NPSIA campaign, the GRID3 Nigeria team produced 9,308 maps leveraging GRID3 data on settlements, populations, administrative boundaries, and infrastructure (such as health facilities, schools, and markets). The maps cluster settlements within 1km radius of one another. Health facilities that fall within each cluster are then designated as fixed vaccination posts; other infrastructure (including schools, places of worship, and markets) are designated as temporary vaccination posts.
A sample of GRID3-produced GIS-based ward map designating vaccination posts within 1km distance of one another; Sumaila Ward, Kano State, Nigeria.
Following the approval, printing and distribution of the ward maps by NPHCDA to states and local governments through World Health Organisation (WHO) state offices, the GRID3 Nigeria team led a session on the use of the maps during the national planning meeting for NPSIAs, with the aim of demonstrating the best practices for using the microplanning maps to identify vaccination posts and for daily implementation plans for immunisation campaigns. The national planning meeting was attended by representatives of the NPHCDA, Clinton Health Access Initiative, WHO, and UNICEF. Plans are underway to lead similar sessions at the state and local government-level before the end of 2021.
National Planning Meeting for 2021 NPSIAs held in Abuja. Photo credit: GRID3
“With GRID3’s microplanning maps, health officials are better equipped to achieve campaign goals, particularly as they relate to accessing hard-to-reach sites, as well as reaching children and settlements that were missed during previous NPSIA campaigns,”
says Nazir Halliru, GRID3 Nigeria National Project Coordinator.
GRID3 builds spatial data solutions which make development goals achievable. Click here to visualise, analyse, and download GRID3 data. To learn more about how Nigeria is improving access to geospatial data for decision making across sectors, visit grid3.gov.ng.
