Zika

Each of Haiti’s 10 departments reported cases of Zika between October 2015 and May 2016, with the majority reported in its three most populous regions. SHOPS Plus contributes to the country’s response efforts by integrating Zika activities into its wider supply chain and social and behavior change communication efforts to improve family planning and reproductive health.

The project works to reduce negative birth outcomes by increasing the accessibility and use of family planning products and services to avoid unintended pregnancies, particularly while Zika is still a threat. SHOPS Plus promotes the use of mosquito repellent and condoms among couples and women of reproductive age across Haiti to prevent transmission of the virus.

The project focuses on interpersonal communications through multiple channels, including health educators, mass media spots and broadcasts, an mhealth platform, and printed materials for beneficiaries and outreach workers. The project develops messages based on regional best practices and Haitian-led solutions, including ones relating to pregnancy prevention with family planning, transmission prevention with condoms, bite prevention, self-diagnosis and referral, and antenatal and perinatal care. 

To avoid duplicate efforts, SHOPS Plus will translate, adapt, and/or produce relevant and useful messages and materials that promote and enable behavior change in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization, UNICEF, USAID partners, and other stakeholders.

The project works with health educators to hold household and small group discussions to learn more about behavioral dynamics and improve Zika-related messaging. The project will empower participating health educators to collect information on Zika-related behaviors by developing Zika-specific discussion guides and reporting procedures.

To assist the broader Zika response, SHOPS Plus will make its findings available and use them to inform social and behavior change communication messages and materials.

Countries: Haiti