Community participation is key when spreading health messages.
Volunteers get on their bikes to improve health of Burundians 8 January 2001 by Caroline Hurford in Bujumbura A team of 279 volunteers from the Burundi Red Cross are getting on their bikes as part of a major public health programme throughout Africa. The volunteers have been recruited and trained to give people basic health information on immunization, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, nutrition and diarrhoeal diseases. One of their priorities is to locate expectant mothers and newborn babies in need of vaccination as well as under-fives who require supplementary feeding. The volunteers also gather information about the general state of health and hygiene and are able to refer the neediest cases to the nearest medical facilities. Another of their tasks is to spray insecticides and distribute impregnated mosquito nets to deal with the huge problem of malaria.