title: Tracking Vaccination Teams During Polio Campaigns in Northern Nigeria by Use of Geographic Information System Technology: 2013-2015.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nigeria is among the 3 countries in which polio remains endemic. The country made significant efforts to reduce polio transmission but remains challenged by poor-quality campaigns and poor team performance in some areas. This article demonstrates the application of geographic information system technology to track vaccination teams to monitor settlement coverage, reduce the number of missed settlements, and improve team performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In each local government area where tracking was conducted, global positioning system-enabled Android phones were given to each team on a daily basis and were used to record team tracks. These tracks were uploaded to a dashboard to show the level of coverage and identify areas missed by the teams.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 2012 to June 2015, tracking covered 119 immunization days. A total of 1149 tracking activities were conducted. Of these, 681 (59%) were implemented in Kano state. There was an improvement in the geographic coverage of settlements and an overall reduction in the number of missed settlements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The tracking of vaccination teams provided significant feedback during polio campaigns and enabled supervisors to evaluate performance of vaccination teams. The reports supported other polio program activities, such as review of microplans and the deployment of other interventions, for increasing population immunity in northern Nigeria.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Kebba
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Touray
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mkanda
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Sisay G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Tegegn
authors.affiliation: Global Public Health Solutions, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nsubuga
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Tesfaye B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Erbeto
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Banda
authors.affiliation: Global Public Health Solutions, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Etsano
authors.affiliation: Global Public Health Solutions, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shuaib
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Abuja, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Rui G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Vaz
mesh_terms: D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000266:history / Q000517:prevention & control*; D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D023321:Poliovirus Vaccines
keywords: dashboard; geographic coverage of settlements; team performance; tracking vaccination teams