Title: Immunization delivery at an outreach site
Course: Immunization - Ethiopia (Full)

Immunization delivery at an outreach site

There are very few differences between delivery of an immunization service at an outreach site, and the details already described for a fixed site such as your Health Post. The key point is that the dates, times and sites for regular outreach sessions should be planned carefully, with the goal of covering the target population within the target period. It is very important to work with the community in selecting the most suitable sites and the most appropriate days for outreach immunization sessions. The site should be readily accessible, such as a school or kebele office, or in the shade of a large tree (Figure 8.10).

Figure 8.10  A large shady tree can be a good place for people to wait for an outreach session. (Photo: Basiro Davey)

Training, assistance and supportive supervision should be provided regularly for you and the community volunteers in outreach sites, to ensure the delivery of safe and high-quality immunization services for the local community. Monitoring and evaluation of the outreach service, with community input, is crucially important for its success. Regular meetings should be organised to discuss ways of increasing the immunization coverage locally, for example by changing the location to a more convenient site or adding new outreach sites.

What resources do you need for an outreach immunization session?

Human and financial resources for outreach sessions require very careful management in order to reach every district in a sustainable manner. In addition to the resources already described for a fixed-site session, the community should help by providing chairs and tables, and local volunteers to assist you. When you arrive, inspect the site to check that it has been arranged correctly to ensure a good workflow (look back at Figure 8.8), and that all surfaces have been properly cleaned. Swab the table where the injections will be given with alcohol before you set out your equipment.

Make sure that your vaccine carrier or cold box is shaded from the sun!

What additional resources will you need to take to an outreach session, compared to a fixed-site session?

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You will need to pack all your equipment safely to transport it over the required distance, while maintaining the vaccines and diluents under cold chain conditions at all times. This may mean that you need a cold box, which stays cold for longer than a vaccine carrier.

When you leave the outreach site, you should collect all the safety boxes and any other waste, and take them back to your Health Post, where you can dispose of them in a safe way (see Study Session 7). Do not leave any waste at the site. You started your work in a clean area and it is important to leave the site as clean as when you began. Make sure that you thank all the community volunteers who helped you deliver a successful immunization session that day.