ABSTRACT
Zimbabwe. What we know: The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting movement restrictions have challenged the collection of routine nutrition monitoring data, limiting the ability of countries to identify changes in the nutrition situation. What this article adds: The RapidPro data management system enabled the continuation of routine nutrition data collection in Zimbabwe in the COVID-19 context. A number of indicators were selected for weekly (instead of monthly) reporting in nutritionally vulnerable, drought prone districts. Village health workers (VHWs) and health facility staff were prompted weekly to submit data via the mobile phone short messaging service (SMS) which were automatically collated via RapidPro software and analysed regularly at national level. A national level monitoring and evaluation officer responsible for quality control followed up with districts and health staff if data discrepancies were noted. To date, over 9,146 VHWs provide reports using the RapidPro system;on average, 70% of responses were complete and correct. This system enabled near real-time screening data (Family mid-upper-arm circumference (MUAC)) and information on ready-to-use therapeutic feeding (RUTF) supplies that were used by the Nutrition Cluster for decision making and response planning to support continued wasting treatment services. Successful scale-up of RapidPro was as a result of strong government leadership, the inclusion of RapidPro activities in Ministry of Health activity plans and integration with national nutrition reporting systems. In due course, this data will be automated to feed directly into the Demographic Health and Information Survey verion two (DHIS2) data management platform.
ABSTRACT
In May 2020, the Madagascar Ministry of Health, UNICEF and other nutrition partners, together with the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU), leveraged existing technologies to conduct a virtual IPC analysis for acute malnutrition in six drought-prone southern districts in Madagascar. Adaptations made to the IPC methodology for the COVID-19 context featured the inclusion of already trained team members to reduce the length of orientation, utilisation and re-analysis of data collected just prior to lockdown to overcome challenges in data collection and the shifting of meetings from in-person to virtual. A number of assumptions were built into the analysis given the COVID-19 context including the likely negative impact on food systems and access to health services in the post-harvest period. Results of the analysis hypothesised the likely deterioration of the nutrition situation in all six districts beyond August 2020 with two districts being classified as IPC phase 3 or 4. The IPC analysis was largely deemed a success as a result of strong political will and support from nutrition partners and the IPC GSU. However, numerous challenges were noted including a reliance on historical data, a lack of global guidelines on remote facilitation at the time and internet connectivity challenges.