SWACH guineaworm eradication strategies

SWACH (Sanitation Water and Community Health) Project has been successful in almost eradicating the incidence of guineaworm disease in the Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara distircts of Rajasthan, India. This document outlines the integrated approach, combining hardware and software activities, adopted to achieve this task. Hardware activities, drilling 7750 boreholes and the conversion of 8568 stepwells to drawwells, were reinforced by software activities including village contact drives, intensive guineaworm awareness drives, distribution of funnel filters, the development of a comprehensive network of animators/scouts and a massive social mobilization and health education campaign. The document outlines the office restructuring needed to establish sentinel offices in the endemic blocks for better implementation of project interventions. Details on case management and an incentive-based surveillance and reporting system are included. The duties of scout/animators and co-ordinators are set out and involve launching a massive anti guineaworm campaign and undertaking social mobilization acitvities such as intensive guineaworm eradication drives, awareness camps, exhibitions, training, orientation programmes, student competitions, and forming village level guineaworm eradication committees. Steps taken by teachers to teach students about guineaworm diseases and specific village level strategies are also included. Annexes provide costing details, the methodology and budget for various strategies such as awareness camps, and examples of forms used for data collection.