Fighting Avian Flu with Puppets
When H5N1, the virus that causes avian influenza, was identified in Romania late last year, USAID was one of the first to respond. Largely due to the quick and effective work of USAID/Romania and its partners, including the Romanian Ministry of Health, there have been no cases of H5N1 infection in humans to date. But the threat has not gone away, and USAID continues to work to protect the health of Romanian citizens.
On August 14, USAID implementing partner John Snow Inc. (JSI) launched a campaign to teach children from rural families how to protect themselves from avian influenza. Local public health authorities, community nurses, Roma health mediators, and family doctors from rural areas are joining young students from Bucharest’s Academy of Film to put on an exciting musical puppet show and educate the public. The traveling show was specifically designed to target difficult-to-reach groups, such as children not in school and those with low literacy, which are at greatest risk for infection and often missed by traditional school-based prevention programs. The puppets will perform in eight Romanian counties believed to be at risk for future outbreaks of avian flu.
The story begins as two conceited hens are horrified by the dramatic death of a common pigeon in their yard. The village priest and the local doctor convene upon the scene and ask the children in the audience if they know what to do if they see a dead bird. Messages about staying away from dead or sick birds and about washing one’s hands are repeated through catchy, amusing songs, with the actors addressing the audience directly. The pigeon is sent away to be tested at a lab, leaving the two hens deeply worried… after all, if the H5N1 virus is detected in their village, the hens know what will happen to them! And their favorite rooster seems to have a cold…
Luckily, all’s well that ends well, and all ends well for the hens and the villagers (except for the pigeon, who, it turns out, died of natural causes… whew!). Lessons about the need to wash eggs before cooking and to heat poultry products above 70 degrees C are repeated in a funny, non-alarming way. At the end of the show, the doctor and village priest give special coloring books with avian flu safety messages and colored pencils to the children in the audience.
Children and adults have enjoyed the production immensely. USAID/Romania plans to record the show and subtitle it into English, so that it can be used as a resource by other countries facing the threat of avian flu.
 |
 |
| Puppets teach rural Romanian families to protect themselves against avian flu |
The innovative campaign targets those at high risk: children who cannot read and
do not attend school |
Back to Top ^ |
