Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
News
In this issue
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Child mortality rates falling faster than ever
Hayatee Hasan, WHO Headquarters
News
 European Member States unanimously
adopt new plan to combat vaccinepreventable diseases
 AMP-WHO LOGIVAC project marks
the end of the second edition of the
health logistics bachelor’s degree
 Updates related to the intro of IPV
 Chile introduces the HPV in its National Immunization Programme
 Comprehensive Costing of Brazil’s
National Immunization Programme
 Use of Android application in conducting EVM assessment in Bihar, India
Upcoming Meetings
Meetings / workshops
 Meeting on the introduction of IPV in
routine immunization programmes
 Annual meeting of the European lab
networks for measles/rubella and polio
 Training on Conventional and Real
Time PCR in Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype determination for National
Reference Lab in Latin America
 Fifth Meeting of the SEAR - ITAG
 WHO workshop on Defining Disease
Burden and Decision-making for Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
 Peer review of GAVI applications for
IPV introduction
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New data released on 18 September 2014 by the United Nations show that under-five
mortality rates have dropped by 49% between 1990 and 2013 thanks to evidencebased interventions against the leading
infectious diseases such as immunization.
The average annual reduction has accelerated – in some countries it has even tripled – but overall progress is still short of
meeting the global target of a two-thirds
decrease in under-five mortality by 2015.
New estimates in Levels and Trends in Child
Mortality 2014 show that in 2013, 6.3 milA mother and her baby being vaccinated.
lion children under five died from mostly Credit : WHO/P. Virot
preventable causes, around 200 000 fewer
than in 2012, but still equal to nearly 17 000 child deaths each day. Overall progress is still
short of meeting the global target of a two-thirds decrease in under five mortality by
2015.
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Resources
14
Calendar
1516
Links
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“The global community is poised to end preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths
within a generation,” said Dr Flavia Bustreo, WHO Assistant Director-General. “We
know what to do and we know how to do it. The challenge now is to move from plan to
action – we are pleased to see countries like India beginning to lead the way.”
The Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2014 report is developed annually by the United
Nations Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, which is led by UNICEF and
includes the World Health Organization, the World Bank Group and the United Nations
Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
Read the joint news release on falling child mortality rates.
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Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
European Member States unanimously adopt new plan to combat vaccinepreventable diseases
Catharina de Kat-Reynen, WHO Europe
An ambitious roadmap to ensure equitable and optimal protection of Europe’s
population from vaccine-preventable diseases was adopted on 17 September
2014 by the 64th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe.
While significant progress has been made in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases in the European Region, more must be done to reach underserved population groups, ensure sustained demand for vaccines, as well as to expand access The European Vaccine Action
to newly available vaccines. Through adoption of the European Vaccine Action Plan poster. Credit: WHO
Plan (EVAP), Member States have pledged to step up their efforts and political
commitment to:
• sustain polio-free status;
• eliminate measles and rubella;
• control hepatitis B infection;
• meet regional vaccination coverage targets at all administrative levels throughout the Region;
• make evidence-based decisions about the introduction of new vaccines;
• achieve financial sustainability of national immunization programmes.
EVAP outlines a path to achieve these goals in the form of defined objectives, priority action areas and a framework to evaluate and monitor progress. WHO/Europe will provide technical support to Member States to ensure
the full implementation of the Plan.
EVAP is a regional interpretation of the Global Vaccine Action Plan that addresses the specific needs and challenges related to immunization in the WHO European Region. It is aligned with Health 2020 and other key regional
health strategies and policies, and was formulated through a consultative process involving Member States, partners and the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization before submission to the 64th session of the Regional Committee for Europe.
AMP-WHO LOGIVAC project marks the end of the second edition of the health
logistics bachelor’s degree
Philippe Jaillard, Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP)
Twenty-four newly trained health supply chain managers will now be contributing their expertise to health systems throughout sub-Saharan Africa, following their successful completion of the LOGIVAC-supported training
programme in health logistics.
Students received a bachelor's degree from the University of Abomey-Calavi during a ceremony held at the Regional Institute of Public Health (IRSP) in Ouidah, Benin on 19 September 2014.
The French-language training programme, now in its second year, is the first of its kind in Africa and includes classroom training (held at IRSP), distance learning, and an internship.
Among the 24 successful students this year were all 22 from the second class as well as two from the first class;
they are from nine Francophone African countries.
During the graduation ceremony, the director of IRSP expressed satisfaction with students’ academic performance, given their relatively high average marks. The valedictorian, Faustin Sègla, acknowledged the relevance of
the degree course and the quality of teaching. All graduates thanked training programme partners including the
two LOGIVAC implementing institutions: the Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) and WHO.
The next challenge will be to provide professional opportunities to this new cohort of skilled supply chain managers. This is partly due to a lack of recognition in many sub-Saharan African countries of the profession’s vital importance for the proper and effective functioning of the immunization supply chain. This is being addressed
through advocacy efforts supported by LOGIVAC and other health and immunization partners.
Page 2
Registration for the third edition of the training programme is now open. To download the form (in French), click
here.
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Updates related to the introduction of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)
Lisa Menning, WHO Headquarters
IPV introduction in Nepal
In a step to accelerate the global eradication of polio and help prevent a resurgence of the disease, Nepal introduced IPV on 18 September 2014 into its routine
immunization programme. Nepal was the first country in South Asia, and the first
GAVI-eligible country, to launch IPV as part of the global roll out of the vaccine.
IPV is administered to children at 14 weeks of age by intramuscular injection by a
trained health worker at established health facilities or immunization sessions. In
advance of the launch, the Ministry of Health and Population successfully conducted training for all heath workers in all 75 districts on IPV administration.
UNICEF Nepal. The first child
being vaccinated with IPV in
Nepal.
To share a selection of communication materials used to support the IPV introduction in Nepal, a package is available
on the IPV website with the following: technical guidelines for health workers, a brochure for caregivers, a fact sheet,
poster and job aid. (Credits: the Government of Nepal, WHO Nepal, and UNICEF Nepal.) We hope these are a useful level example of final communication and training materials and help to complement the general global guidance.
Training materials for health workers on IPV
To support countries preparing to introduce IPV, a suite of training materials for health workers on IPV and related
aspects of vaccine administration and interpersonal communication are now available on the ‘Planning’ page of the IPV
website.
The modules cover a range of topics specific to IPV and across all aspects of service delivery, including eligibility, administration, recording and monitoring data, adverse events monitoring, and communication with caregivers. Also
included are key messages and frequently asked questions to support a strong understanding by health workers of the
rationale for IPV introduction, IPV safety, timing of administration, as well as how to respond to common questions
from caregivers.
Developed by UNICEF, a training curriculum for increasing interpersonal communication (IPC) skills for the introduction of IPV is also available. The curriculum was developed to facilitate group health education with the help of visual
aids, flip charts, flash cards and posters, and includes an important emphasis on participatory and learn-by-doing exercises.
All training materials are designed so that regional and/or country offices can adapt the content according to local
needs and norms. French versions will also be available soon.
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Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Chile introduces the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine (HPV) in its National
Immunization Programme
Fernando Muñoz, Ministry of Health, Chile; Marta Prieto and Andrea Vicari, PAHO/WHO
On 2 September 2014, Chile’s President Dr Michelle Bachelet
launched the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV). This year,
the Ministry of Health plans to vaccinate 125,000 girls aged nine to
10 years. The quadrivalent vaccine is being administered in a twodose immunization schedule with a 12-month interval between doses.
Health workers will administer the HPV vaccine at public and private
schools. The vaccine introduction was jointly planned with the education sector, and a manual specifically directed at teachers was prepared and distributed. Additional information and videos are available online.
Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet (center) and
Health Minister Dr Helia Molina (second from
left) at the launch of national HPV vaccination.
Credit: MoH, Chile.
Every year, 587 women die in Chile of cervical cancer (equivalent to a 5.7 age-adjusted mortality rate per 100,000
women). The introduction of the HPV vaccine is the outcome of the joint work among the National Programme for
the Control of Cervical Cancer, the National Immunization Programme, education and health experts, economists,
political leaders and civil society representatives.
In Chile, the HPV vaccine has been available in the private health sector since 2006. The inclusion in the national
immunization schedule thus achieves universal access to this vaccine throughout the target age cohorts, included for
vulnerable population groups. The annual public investment for HPV immunization will amount to US$ 2.5 million.
In the Americas, 22 countries (in addition to Chile) including Argentina, Antigua, Barbados, Brazil, Bermuda, Canada,
the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saba, Sint Maarten,
Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States of America, and Uruguay—now offer the HPV vaccine in their
publicly funded immunization programmes. Each year, 6.5 million adolescent girls (85% of a typical birth cohort of
the Americas) have a guaranteed access to HPV vaccine in the Western Hemisphere.
Comprehensive Costing of Brazil’s National Immunization Programme
Gabriela Felix, Cara Janusz and Samia Samad, PAHO
The Pan American Health Organization’s ProVac Initiative is working closely with
the Brazilian Universidade Federal de Goiás in a Ministry-sponsored costing of the
Brazilian National Immunization Programme (NIP). Brazil’s NIP recently celebrated
its fortieth anniversary. It has been a pioneer in new vaccine introduction and has
one of the most complete immunization schedules in the region. However, not
much is known about the full costs of the programme.
The ProVac Initiative is providing technical assistance for the study around its experiences developing and implementing a PAHO immunization programme costing
tool [COSTVAC]. During the week of 15-19 September 2014, the PAHO ProVac
team and researchers from the Universidade Federal de Goiás trained a data collection team on survey administration for all administrative and operational levels of the programme. Data collector teams were sent to the field and
expected to complete data collection by the end of October 2014.
Data collection field training in
Brasilia.
Data on resource use and costs of the programme (vaccines and supplies, personnel, infrastructure, cold chain, other equipment, among others) will be collected from the national, state, municipal administrative offices and service
delivery sites at immunization posts. Data collectors will visit all 27 states; 330 health facilities from 40 municipalities
across the country were probabilistically sampled. This health facility-based survey of costs is one of the largest of its
kind. Results will be available in 2015.
Page 4
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Use of Android application in conducting Effective Vaccine Management (EVM)
assessment in Bihar, India
Ghanashyam Sethy, Syed Hubbe Ali, UNICEF Bihar (India)
The effective vaccine management (EVM) assessment is an initiative to help
countries to improve the quality of their vaccine and cold chain management
from the time the vaccine arrives in country to the service delivery point. However, the data collection and analysis processes were time consuming and limited in outreach, as the data collection process was paper based and dissemination was primarily done through static worksheets that presented the aggregated results.
UNICEF Bihar (India) along with the government of Bihar developed and piloted a mobile application to collect data
based on the globally agreed EVM parameters. The application is free to download and can be installed on android
based mobile systems. The application includes smart forms that incorporate features such as capturing the GPS coordinates, images of the facility, calculators to estimate volume, and has skip patterns embedded so that data collection is efficient. Once data is collected, it can be submitted to a central server using mobile internet or through a WiFi network as depicted in the schematic diagram.
The data is then collated in the server using an aggregation engine to compute the scores both at the aggregate level
and facility level. The computed scores are for the nine criteria; and seven category parameters are then visualized on
a dashboard which shows the location of the vaccine stores on a google map as well as the score obtained. The data
is disseminated via the DevInfo platform (a UNICEF led database technology initiative) which allows users to query
and combine criteria or category parameters and generate charts and thematic maps. The dashboard and the DevInfo
platform are accessible via the EVM portal which provides additional information on standard operating procedures,
tools and other useful resources pertaining to the EVM initiative.
The dashboard and custom query features
offer 24X7 data accessibility and add value to
the decision makers in the field as well as
senior policy makers.
Page 5
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Upcoming Meetings
Advanced Vaccinology Course
Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, Charité – Universitätsmedizin, Berlin
Location:
Berlin, Germany
Date:
12 – 23 January 2015 (Deadline for application, 20
October 2014)
Participants:
Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin and University
of Antwerp, Belgium
Group photo from the participants in the course
in 2014
Page 6
Purpose:
The course covers state-of-the-art updates on recent global developments in the field of vaccinology. It is run in partnership between the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health,
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, and the University of Antwerp, Belgium. A wide range of
lecturers contribute to the course teaching: these come from various institutions, from academia
as well as the pharmaceutical industry, with specialists from a wide array of regional and thematic
expertise.
Details:
An introduction of new vaccines, new financing initiatives and related policy issues will be provided. Basic epidemiological, ethical and regulatory issues related to the assessment of vaccine efficacy
and effectiveness in different regions will be compared, while appraising issues of public confidence
in vaccination programmes. The course also provides an overview of economic aspects of vaccination programmes and ways in which health professionals may be assisted in designing, planning, and
implementing immunization programmes (with a strong focus on developing countries).
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) meeting
Patrick Zuber, WHO HQ
Location:
Geneva, Switzerland
Date:
3-4 December 2014
Participants: Vaccine safety experts – WHO personnel
Purpose:
The WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) is a technical advisory
body to WHO which aims to provide a reliable and independent scientific assessment of
vaccine safety issues through:
• rigorous reviews of the latest knowledge, in all fields ranging from basic sciences to epidemiology, concerning any aspect of vaccine safety of global or national interest;
• determination of causal relationships between vaccines and/or their components and adverse events attributed to them;
• creation, where necessary, of ad hoc task forces with a mandate to commission, monitor
and evaluate research on any purported association of specific vaccines/components and
adverse events. The committee reports to Director, EMP.
The Committee meets twice a year and on an additional ad hoc basis depending on the
emergence of vaccine safety situations.
Global Vaccine Safety Initiative (GVSI) meeting
Christine Maure, WHO HQ
Location:
Tianjin, China
Date:
13-14 October 2014
Participants: Country representatives and major stakeholders in vaccine safety
Purpose:
For countries and partners to interact and exchange information on progress with implementation of national and global vaccine pharmacovigilance activities and define plans for
further development.
Details:
The Global Vaccine Safety Initiative (GVSI) implements the Global Vaccine Safety Blueprint, a strategy to ensure vaccine safety in the Decade of Vaccines - Global Vaccine Action Plan. Country representatives from the Global Network for Post Marketing Surveillance and major stakeholders in vaccine safety are invited for a 2-day meeting to discuss
progress with implementation of national and global vaccine pharmacovigilance activities
and define plans for further development. Specific objectives are to develop an overview
of current and planned activities in global vaccine safety, identify needs and opportunities
to support countries in implementing an effective vaccine pharmacovigilance system, explore possible synergies between stakeholders and partners and avoid duplication of efforts and update.
Page 7
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Meetings/Workshops
Meeting on the introduction of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in routine
immunization programmes
Catharina de Kat-Reynen, WHO Europe
Location:
Istanbul, Turkey
Date:
13-15 August 2014
Participants:
WHO Headquarters, WHO Regional
Office for Europe, UNICEF Supply Division, GAVI Secretariat, representatives
of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Purpose:
To review the IPV introduction process,
assist Member States in developing and
refining detailed IPV introduction plans
and, for Member States eligible for GAVI Group photo of the participants in the meeting on
support, provide guidance on applications the introduction of IPV in RI
for the mid-September 2014 deadline.
Details:
WHO/Europe provides ongoing support for the introduction of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
in Member States that currently use oral polio vaccine (OPV) only. During the meeting, participants also had the opportunity to discuss other key issues for IPV introduction, including communication and cold chain needs.
To assist Member States further, WHO/Europe has developed a resource package on IPV introduction that includes a large range of operational and technical manuals, communication support, presentations, Frequently Asked Questions and much more. The package is available in
hard copy in English and Russian and can be ordered through this email address.
Page 8
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Annual meeting of the European laboratory networks for measles/rubella and polio
Catharina de Kat-Reynen, WHO Europe
Location:
Hammamet, Tunisia
Date:
8-12 September 2014
Participants: Virologists from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakh-
stan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, WHO EURO and Group photo from the Annual meeting of the
European Laboratory networks for polio
WHO EMRO
Purpose:
To conduct a joint review of the networks’ performance in 2013–2014 and to define future priorities
and to further strengthen collaboration with sister
networks in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The networks continue to work closely as part of the
WHO response to recent polio and measles outbreaks in the Middle East.
Group photo from the Annual meeting of the
European Laboratory networks for Measles/
Rubella
Details:
Within the European Region, WHO coordinates a Measles/Rubella Laboratory Network and a Polio
Laboratory Network to facilitate high-quality laboratory investigation of suspected cases of these diseases. In addition to early detection of a potential outbreak, data provided by the laboratories are
critical to understanding the impact of a country’s vaccination programme on the prevalence and
spread of disease.
All of the European networks’ laboratories passed the annual WHO external quality assurance testing
in the past year and were fully accredited. While both networks continue to maintain a high standard
of work, challenges related to insufficient staff and government funding present a real threat to their
performance.
More should be done by the national governments in the respective countries and throughout the
European Region to ensure uninterrupted work of this essential component of the public health system. In the context of the measles and rubella elimination target for the Region, Member States are
expected to also scale up case-based surveillance and optimize the linkage between epidemiological
and laboratory data.
More information:
European Polio Laboratory Network
European Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network
Eastern Mediterranean Region Polio Laboratory Network
Eastern Mediterranean Measles/Rubella Laboratory Network
Elimination and eradication efforts in the European Region
Page 9
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Training on Conventional and Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) in
Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype determination for National Reference
Laboratories in Latin America
Ana Belen Ibarz and Gloria Rey-Benito, PAHO
Location:
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Date:
18-29 August 2014
Participants:
Professionals from National Reference Laboratories
from Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay
and Peru attended the training in the Bacteriology
Lab of the Adolfo Lutz Institute.
Purpose:
The purpose of this activity was to train National
Reference Laboratory professionals on the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique for serotyping Streptococcus pneumoniae and to ensure that
this activity is implemented and remains installed in
the participating laboratories.
Details:
This training was conducted as part of the activities aimed at improving invasive bacterial disease
surveillance in Latin America. It focused specifically on obtaining information on circulating S. pneumoniae serotypes following the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) in most
Latin American countries.
Participants from Latin American countries,
Adolfo Lutz Institute and CDC. Workshop
training on the conventional and real time
PCR for Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype determination. Adolfo Lutz Institute,
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo courtesy of Dr.
Maria Cristina Brandileone, Adolfo Lutz
Institute.
The training was organized by the Immunizations Unit of the Pan American Health Organization
and conducted by Dr Gloria Carvalho, from the Streptococcus laboratory of the United States
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Dr Samanta Almeida, from the Bacteriology laboratory at the Adolfo Lutz Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
For two weeks, participants participated in classroom lectures and hands-on practical activities on
the methodology: from sample manipulation, transport and conservation to DNA extraction,
PCR, interpretation of the results and problem-solving.
All participants stressed the high technical knowledge of the trainers and the personnel at the
Adolfo Lutz Institute, the warm reception by the host institution, and the technical support they
were offered once they returned to their countries. They all felt confident they would be able to
install the S. pneumoniae PCR capacity in their home countries and contribute to improving pneumococcal disease knowledge in Latin America.
Page 10
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Fifth Meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Technical Advisory Group on
Immunization (SEAR - ITAG)
Virginia Swezy, WHO SEARO
Location:
New Delhi, India
Date:
25-29 August 2014
Participants:
SEAR-ITAG members, members of National Committees for Immunization Practices (NCIP) of Member States, SAGE members representing the Region, national EPI programme managers and national
surveillance focal points from all 11 countries, representatives from WHO Headquarters, the Regional Office for South-East Asia and WHO country
offices immunization focal points, UNICEF headquarters, the South Asia and the Eastern Asia and
Pacific Regional offices, country offices and a number of other local and global partners and stakeholders.
Participants from the SEARO ITAG
Purpose:
To review the status of performance of national EPI programmes in relation to disease eradication/
elimination/control targets; to address and seek guidance on ways to effectively address five issues of
importance to this Region, i.e. data quality and strengthening routine immunization to achieve and
sustain high immunization coverage; sentinel surveillance for congenital rubella syndrome (CRS);
applying lessons learned from implementation of health systems strengthening (HSS) activities and
ways to optimize GAVI HSS implementation to strengthen immunization service delivery; identifying
ways to strengthen effective vaccine management in countries; bilateral/horizontal collaborative
mechanisms between countries on group procurement to obtain better pricing and assured supply
of vaccines.
Details:
While moving forward with its immunization agenda, a number of key challenges confront the countries in this Region. Most notable is that Regional DTP3 coverage estimates have remained stagnant
for the past five years at 77%, with India and Indonesia accounting for more than 90% of the Region’s
unimmunized infants. Other challenges are that Regional MCV1 and MCV2 coverage will need to hit
95% to eliminate measles by the goal of 2020, and can only do so if India and Indonesia accelerate
their efforts, and countries that have not conducted a wide age-range nationwide catch-up campaign,
do so. The Region will also need to ensure that the three countries yet to introduce routine MCV2
dose do so, and a special effort is made by the five countries that have yet to introduce a rubella
containing vaccine.
To this end, the SEAR-ITAG concluded and made recommendations in a number of categories including: Quality of Immunization Data, Polio and IPV Introduction, Measles and rubella surveillance
and immunization, CRS Sentinel Surveillance, Japanese Encephalitis, Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus
Elimination, Influenza Prevention and Control, Effective Vaccine Management, Pooled procurement,
and Adverse Events Following, Immunization.
Page 11
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
WHO workshop on Defining Disease Burden and Decision-making for Seasonal
Influenza Vaccination
Pernille Jorgensen, Diane K. Gross, and Liudmila Mosina, WHO Regional Office for Europe; Philipp Lambach,
WHO Geneva
Location:
Tbilisi, Georgia
Date:
25-29 August, 2014
Participants:
National surveillance and immunization programme
managers and representatives of national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAG) from seven
countries (Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova and Ukraine), the Royal Tropical
Institute (Netherlands), Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (United States), World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and Participants at the workshop “Defining InfluWHO headquarters. Total participants: 52
enza Disease Burden”, Tbilisi, Georgia
Credit: WHO
Purpose:
To train national surveillance and immunization officers in methods for estimating seasonal influenza disease burden; discuss the process of evidence based decision-making on seasonal influenza
vaccination policy; discuss the feasibility of introducing influenza vaccine; and share best practices
in making evidence-based decisions and implementation of seasonal influenza vaccination.
Details:
The first half of the workshop focused on using the WHO Manual for Estimating Disease Burden
Associated with Seasonal Influenza. During the training, participants used national influenza surveillance data from hospitals and outpatient clinics to develop preliminary burden estimates. Limitations of surveillance data for burden calculations and quality issues were also discussed.
The second part concentrated on principles and key criteria to be considered for making evidence-based recommendations on seasonal vaccination policy, tools available to collect evidence,
and recent influenza vaccination developments. Approaches to develop evidence-based recommendations on influenza vaccination considering disease burden, vaccine safety and efficacy, costeffectiveness of vaccination, programmatic aspects, and economic evaluations, etc. were discussed
in country groups. Challenges in establishing country NITAGs were also addressed including the
criteria required to become compliant with WHO recommendations.
Although monitoring of influenza is strong in the WHO European Region, surveillance data have
not been widely translated into estimates of morbidity and economic burden of influenza. This
was the first workshop organized by WHO Regional Office for Europe and WHO headquarters
on estimating burden of influenza in the European Region anticipating to improve evidence-based
decision-making on influenza immunization and prioritize target groups in countries with limited
vaccines.
Page 12
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Peer review of GAVI applications for IPV introduction
L. N. AKA & J. N’GANTCHOU, Consultants WHO IST central, O. N’GANGA, D. Cheikh and A. Ambendet, WHO
IST central
Location:
N’djamena, Chad
Date:
26-28 August 2014
Participants:
Delegants consisted of EPI coordinators, EPI logisticians, WHO and UNICEF focal points from Angola, Burundi, Chad (plus its Communication officer), the Central African Republic (CAR), the Congo, Gabon, and Sao Tomé and Principe. The team
of facilitators was composed of experts from
WHO (IST Central, Cameroon and two consultants), and UNICEF/WCAR experts.
Equatorial Guinea could not come but its case was
studied at the workshop.
Purpose:
Mainly to review the quality of introduction plans Participants from the Peer review of GAVI applicaof the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV), and GAVI tions for IPV introduction
applications for this vaccine.
Details:
In November 2013, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) adopted a
number of key recommendations on the use of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in national immunization programmes. One recommendation relates to the fact that endemic and all other countries that
remain at high risk of polio importation must introduce at least one dose of IPV in their routine immunization programme before the end of 2015. To this effect, these countries should develop national plans in 2014 for the introduction of IPV.
In the context of the accelerated introduction of IPV, WHO IST Central in collaboration with AFRO
and UNICEF provided technical support to countries in preparing drafts of IPV introduction plans and
GAVI applications. Subsequently, WHO IST Central, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, organized the workshop. It was also an opportunity to strengthen the capacity of national leaders in the field of the introduction of IPV.
The working methodology consisted primarily of presentations followed by working groups, which
focused on the review of documents (plans for the introduction of IPV and other related documents)
followed by feedback sessions from peers. This was the analysis of documents based on a predetermined template. During the plenary sessions, guidance and direction were provided. The workshop concluded with the development of a timetable for completion by each country to enable it to send the
application on time.
Page 13
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Resources
Updated WHO fact sheets
Hayatee Hasan, WHO Headquarters
Immunization coverage: Immunization averts an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths every year from diphtheria,
tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), and measles. Global vaccination coverage—the proportion of the world’s
children who receive recommended vaccines—has remained steady for the past few years. During 2013, about
84% (112 million) of infants worldwide received 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine, protecting them against infectious diseases that can cause serious illness and disability or be fatal. By 2013, 129 countries
had reached at least 90% coverage of DTP3 vaccine. Read the updated fact sheet
Children - reducing mortality: From the end of the neonatal period and through the first five years of life, the
main causes of death are pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria. Overall, substantial progress has been made towards
achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4. Since 1990 the global under-five mortality rate has dropped
from 90 deaths per 1000 live births in 1990 to 46 in 2013. But the rate of this reduction in under-five mortality is
still insufficient to reach the MDG target of a two-thirds reduction of 1990 mortality levels by the year 2015. Read
the updated fact sheet
Page 14
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Calendar
2014
October
2-3
AFRO West and Central Sub-Regional Workshop Group meeting
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
7-8
GAVI Programme and Policy Committee (PPC) meeting
Geneva, Switzerland
8-9
14th Meeting of the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on
Immunization (ETAGE)
Copenhagen, Denmark
13-14
Global Vaccine Safety Initiative (GVSI) meeting
Tianjin, China
13-17
65th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific
Manila, Philippines
13-17
Regional workshop on surveillance for new vaccine-preventable diseases
Manila, Philippines
14-15
AFRO East & South GAVI Sub-Regional Workshop group meeting
Antananarivo, Madagascar
19-22
61st Session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean
Tunisia
21-23
Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization
Geneva, Switzerland
25-26
JTEG Malaria vaccine meeting
Geneva, Switzerland
27-29
DCVMN (Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers) 15 th Annual
General Meeting
New Delhi, India
27-31
Measles Rubella Laboratory Network meeting for the South-East Asian
Region
Jakarta, Indonesia
27-31
Global IB-VPD and RV Sentinel Surveillance Meetings
Geneva, Switzerland
November
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3-7
64th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa
Cotonou, Benin
10-12
EURO Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination
Copenhagen, Denmark
10-21
GAVI Independent Review Committee (IRC) Applications Review Committee
Geneva, Switzerland
11-13
Meeting on Using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to
improve immunization programmes
Istanbul, Turkey
17-18
Rotavirus Technical Working Group LabNet Meeting
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
17-20
28th Intercountry Meeting of National Managers of the Expanded Programme on Immunization
Amman, Jordan
22-25
15th Intercountry Meeting on Measles and Rubella Control and Elimination
Amman, Jordan
Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
December
3-4
Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety (GACVS) meeting
Geneva, Switzerland
8-12
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Laboratory Network Meeting
Manila, Philippines
9-10
SEARO Regional Working Group on New Vaccines Introduction and Health
Systems Strengthening
Myanmar
10-11
GAVI Board Meeting
Geneva, Switzerland
2015
February
16-20
cMYP Training Workshop
Geneva, Switzerland
Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization
Geneva, Switzerland
2015 Technet Consultation
TBD, Thailand
Meeting of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization
Geneva, Switzerland
April
14-16
May
12-14
October
20-22
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Global Immunization News (GIN)
September 2014
Links
Organizations and Initiatives
American Red Cross
Child Survival
Sabin Vaccine Institute
Sustainable Immunization Financing
Agence de Médecine Préventive
Africhol
EpiVacPlus
LOGIVAC Project
SIVAC
UNICEF
Immunization
Supplies and Logistics
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Polio
Global Vaccines and Immunization
Johns Hopkins
International Vaccine Access Center
Vaccine Information Management System
JSI
Africa Routine Immunization Systems Essentials Project
IMMUNIZATIONbasics
Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP)
USAID
Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program
WHO
Department of Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals
New and Under-utilized Vaccines Implementation
ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cancer
Immunization financing
Immunization service delivery
Immunization surveillance, assessment and monitoring
SIGN Alliance
PATH
Vaccine Resource Library
Rotavirus Vaccine Access and Delivery
Malaria Vaccine Initiative
Meningitis Vaccine Project
RHO Cervical Cancer
Other
Coalition Against Typhoid
Dengue Vaccine Initiative
European Vaccine Initiative
Gardasil Access Program
GAVI Alliance
International Association of Public Health Logisticians
International Vaccine Institute
Measles & Rubella Initiative
Multinational Influenza Seasonal Mortality Study
TechNet-21
Vaccines Today
WHO Regional Websites
UNICEF Regional Websites
Routine Immunization and New Vaccines (AFRO)
Immunization (PAHO)
Vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization (EMRO)
Vaccines and immunization (EURO)
Immunization (SEARO)
Immunization (WPRO)
Immunization (Central and Eastern Europe)
Immunization (Eastern and Southern Africa)
Immunization (South Asia)
Immunization (West and Central Africa)
Child survival (Middle East and Northern Africa)
Health and nutrition (East Asia and Pacific)
Health and nutrition (Americas)
PAHO
ProVac Initiative
Newsletters
Immunization Newsletter (PAHO)
The Civil Society Dose (GAVI CSO Constituency)
TechNet Digest
RotaFlash (PATH)
GAVI Programme Bulletin (GAVI)
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