“As an EPI (Expanded Program on Immunization) Data Manager, my responsibility is to make sure that vaccination campaigns in the field run to plan, even in situations with limited time and resources assigned.

Vaccinators sometimes have to go to very remote areas, so everything needs to be thought through in advance, as they will not always have access to internet or mobile data connection. 

For this, geo-enabled microplanning is key – it needs to be crystal clear for each team and field agent who should go where, how many children are required to be vaccinated, and the equipment available in order to be prepared to precision before heading to the field. Every detail counts as even the smallest error can lead to wasted time and resources.

Once in the field, the EPI data managers want to hear from the front-line colleagues and collaborators to identify issues or gaps in the system, and assist wherever needed.

That is why IASO was selected as the best-fit solution for Cameroon July 2023 measles vaccination campaign. To kick things off, we updated the Cameroon georegistry via IASO web and mobile App with all of the key information needed: target population, on-site equipment available, etc. The coverage for that campaign reached 93%, with 4.9 million children vaccinated by 9,000 teams on the field and 900 IASO end users.

With a freshly updated georegistry in place, the EPI could generate digital maps that in turn replaced our hand-drawn and non-validated sketched versions. All information was then available in a central repository. The data entered was done so for each team and for each locality, which now allows us to measure the vaccination and geographical coverage of each community and to be sure that no child has been left behind.

As an EPI data manager, I could monitor progress of the vaccination campaign across different dashboards to directly spot issues by drilling down into data loopholes. Once identified, I could then pick up my phone and call directly the assigned field agent for support – a big win for the optimization of the feedback loop and solution design. 

This use case is now being replicated to other vaccination campaigns.”