Muppets, Pharmacists and Media Aid Avian Flu Prevention

This article includes an interview with Basil Safi, co-chair of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH), Center for Communication Programs (CCP) avian flu communication taskforce, about some of CCP's avian influenza prevention programmes.

According to the article, CCP is using children's television in Egypt to inform the public about the risk of avian influenza. Through the popular television programme Alam Simsim (the Egyptian version of the American television show Sesame Street), children are being taught about general hygiene, safe water and hand washing. According to Safi, this hygiene and hand washing campaign will help to prevent the transmission of avian flu through hand-to-mouth contact, while also reducing the spread of other preventable diseases such as typhoid fever and diarrhea.

CCP is also conducting an integrated mass-media bird flu campaign (including public service announcements, prevention inserts in newspapers and magazines, an avian flu hotline and local meetings in villages and homes) to reach adults in Egypt. The campaign stresses nine messages, some of which include spotting the symptoms of bird flu, protective strategies, transmission routes and who to contact.

The article also details an impact evaluation survey that CCP conducted of adults aged 15 to 49 across 1,500 households across 21 governorates in Egypt. Of the people surveyed:

• 70% said that they had adopted one of the 9 protective behaviours as a result of the messages they received.
• Over 51% had avoided chickens and birds as a primary change in behaviour.
• Only 26% reported washing their cooking utensils more carefully after preparing poultry. This turned out to be the most difficult behaviour to change, and the one of most concern as studies have shown that improper sanitation around the kitchen increases the likelihood of the transmission of avian flu.

Overall, the survey indicated that an increased exposure to campaign messages resulted in an increase in behaviour change.

The article also features some of CCP's efforts in other countries including Azerbaijan and the United States. In Azerbaijan, CCP is working with local organisations and media to conduct workshops for journalists and spokespeople on how to accurately report bird flu messages to the public. It is also working to develop increased transparency and cohesion amongst all parties involved in the H5N1 campaign. In the United States, CCP is developing an internal communication plan for Johns Hopkins University to inform and prepare students, employees and constituents about a possible avian flu pandemic. The organisation is also working to develop a bird flu communications plan with the Howard County Health Department, which is located near Baltimore.