COMMUNITY-BASED POLIO SURVEILLANCE TOOLKIT

Community-based surveillance (CBS) is a surveillance approach in which trained community members – both women and men – are engaged to report suspected acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) based on a simple case definition to a designated focal person. CBS is recommended on a case-by-case basis where health facility-based surveillance cannot be performed or is not functioning optimally, particularly in high-risk populations or areas with an elevated risk of undetected poliovirus transmission.

CBS can be resource intensive. Before embarking on establishing CBS, country programs should conduct a CBS needs assessment to determine if CBS will be an effective strategy to improve AFP surveillance sensitivity. CBS may not be the most efficient option to address surveillance gaps which could be better addressed by sensitization activities and adjustments to the active surveillance network. Programs are advised to look first at more sustainable, cost-effective solutions. Visit the “Getting Started” page to discover tools to help you assess if CBS is right for your program.