Batch Recruitment: Health Specialist (Polio), P3 - Kinshasa; Maniema/Goma; Haut Lomami/Lubumbashi - Temp Appointment (364 days)

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For every child, a vaccine

Despite the African region being certified free of wild polio virus, since 2022, Africa is facing a resurgence of wild polio virus type 1 cases and persistent outbreaks of cVDPV2 and cVDPV1 (polio viruses).

The DRC has been certified free of wild poliovirus since 2015. However, the country has faced outbreaks of circulating variant poliovirus (cVDPV1 and 2) since 2017. To date, there have been 24 separate outbreaks and transmissions linked to cases from Angola, Burundi and the Central African Republic, with a total of 1,066 cases, reported in 185 health zones and spread across 25 provinces. To date, 10 outbreaks remain active. The highest number of cases was recorded in 2022, i.e. 531 cases (around 50% of cases) with co-circulation of type 1 and 2 poliovirus variants.  In 2023, 280 cases of circulating variant polio were reported, including 172 of type 2 and 108 of type 1. A case of VDPV3 has also been reported in one province. The DRC has already exported the virus to 6 neighboring countries: Congo, Burundi, Botswana, Malawi, CAR and Zambia in 2023.

The DRC is the country in the African region most at risk of polio and the priority country in the efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

In addition to persistent polio epidemics, the DRC is also faced with multiple health emergencies, including measles, MPox, yellow fever, cholera and conflict-related population movements. This situation encourages the outbreak of epidemics in camps for displaced people and creates an urgent need for access to primary healthcare.

How can you make a difference? 

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

• Under the guidance of the coordination of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in the DRC, the Ministry of Health and the Comité des opérations d'urgence contre la poliomyélite (COUP), support the provincial coordination of the polio response and that of the GPEI block..
• Collaborate with the SBC team to ensure the preparation of an overall outbreak response communication plan and the appropriate content of advocacy and messaging strategies.
• Collaborate with the logistics and vaccine management team to ensure the preparation and implementation of the overall outbreak response vaccine management plan.
• Collaborate with the Outbreak Operations Manager to ensure that the logistical aspects of the outbreak response, especially financing and HR, are managed optimally.
• Support the coordination of the preparation and implementation of the "plan to interrupt the circulation of circulating vaccine-derived polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2).
• Support big catch up of children zero dose and under immunized.
• Collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health, WHO and other GPEI partners in finalizing, updating and monitoring the implementation of the plan to interrupt the circulation of cVDPV2 in the DRC and ensure that aspects of vaccine management and communication for development are taken into account, in provincial level.
• Participate actively in national coordination meetings before, block GPEI and provincial coordination, during and after the response.
• Ensure that the entire process of planning, implementing and monitoring-evaluating the vaccine response plan is properly prepared:
• Advocate with the authorities, in collaboration with other partners, for the effective involvement of the political and administrative authorities in the response.
• Participate in the evaluations of each phase of the response as well as in the final evaluation of the immunization response.
• Ensure the organization of independent post-campaign monitoring activities with the WHO and the analysis of the results of these Independent Monitoring and LQAS.
• Contribute of preparation of a fortnightly situation report to be sent to the country office, Regional Office.
• Contribute of Draft of general report on the response, highlight