News

May 2013 Issue Global Immunization News Inside this issue:

News

Publication of the data reported by the

WHO Member States on immunization

Guatemala establishes National Immuniza-

tion Advisory Committee

Routine immunization services reach India’s 400,000 high risk settlements

CCL Taskforce update - Energy & Connec-tivity for Health Forum

Registration is now open for Second edition of LOGIVAC training in health logistics in

French

2

2

3

3

4

Meetings/Workshops

Training workshop on case-based measles

surveillance for the countries of central Africa

First Workshop on Review Practice of Non-clinical, Clinical and PSURs Data with Specif-ic Consideration of Vaccines

Inaugural Meeting of the ad hoc Governing

Council of the International Association of Immunization Managers (IAIM)

XXI Meeting of PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on vaccine-preventable dis-eases: “Vaccination: a shared responsibility”

Second Regional Meeting for Strengthening

Vaccine Pharmacovigilance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Strengthening Vac-cine Safety Communication

Workshop to review the monitoring of seasonal influenza vaccination

WHO/Europe supports development of

evidence-based immunization policy and practice workshop

Training Workshop on Cost Effectiveness Analysis of New Vaccines Introduction

Meeting of the Vaccine-Preventable Disease Laboratory Networks for the Region of the

Americas

Vaccine Safety Workshop

4

5

5

6

6

7

7

8

8

9

New Resources 9-10

Regional Meetings & Key Events 11

Related Links 12

Country-specific estimates of immunization coverage for 1980-

2012 23/07/2013 from David Brown, UNICEF HQ and Marta Gacic-Dobo, WHO HQ

WHO and UNICEF have reviewed data available on national immunization coverage and

produced country-specific estimates of immunization coverage for 1980-2012.

These estimates are based on data officially reported to WHO and UNICEF by Member

States as well as data reported in the published and grey literature. Whenever possible, con-

sultations have taken place with local experts - primarily national EPI managers and WHO

and UNICEF regional and country office staff - for additional information regarding the per-

formance of specific local immunization services. Based on the data available, consideration

of potential biases, and contributions from local experts, WHO and UNICEF have attempt-

ed to determine the most accurate level of immunization coverage.

Global coverage in 2012 for three doses of DTP containing vaccine was 83%, however an

estimated 22.6 million infants remained unvaccinated.

The data are posted both on UNICEF and WHO web sites.

The data can be accessed in tabular format and excel file, and country profiles of coverage

estimates can be found here.

Global coverage estimates, 1980-2012

DTP1, DTP3, Measles, HepB3, Hib3, PCV3 and Rota (last dose)

Source: WHO and UNICEF estimates of national routine immunisation coverage, 2012 data revision (completed July 2013). Date of graph: 22

July 2013.

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Global Immunization News

Publication of the data reported by the WHO Member States on immunization 31/07/2013 from Laure Dumolard, WHO HQ

Since 1998, WHO and UNICEF have annually been collecting data on national immunization systems jointly

through the WHO/UNICEF Joint Reporting Form on Immunization (JRF).

The Joint Reporting Form annually collects national level data on:

reported cases of selected vaccine preventable diseases,

immunization coverage,

recommended immunization schedules,

supplementary immunization activities,

vaccine supply, and other information on the structure, policies and performance of national immunization systems.

National authorities complete the form using an excel-based data-collection tool and submit the data to WHO

and UNICEF during the second quarter of each year. WHO and UNICEF consolidate the replies and reconcile

any differences between the two reporting channels during the month of May.

By 21 July 2013, 187 member states reported data for 2012. The WHO vaccine preventable diseases monitoring

system has been updated with 2012 data and can be accessed through country profiles, or by subject.

Guatemala establishes National Immunization Advisory Committee 31/07/2013 from Ministry of Health, Guatemala and PAHO/WHO Guatemala

As part of the activities conducted during the 11th Vaccination Week in the Americas & 2nd World Immunization

Week; Dr. Jorge Villavicencio, Ministry of Health of Guatemala, swore in the members of Guatemala’s national

Immunization Advisory Committee (CONAPI, in Spanish). The role and responsibilities of CONAPI´s members

are regulated by Ministerial Agreement (MA) number 464-2013.

Representatives of each of the following organizations were appointed: 1) Academy of Physicians and Surgeons of

Guatemala (Colmedegua, in Spanish); 2) Guatemala Pediatric Association (APD, in Spanish); 3) Infectious Diseases

Association of Guatemala (AGEI, in Spanish); 4) Internal Medicine Association; 5) Gynecology and Obstetrics As-

sociation of Guatemala; 6) Professional Nurses Association of Guatemala; 7) Association of Guatemalan Schools

of Medicine; and 8) Rotary Club of Guatemala. All members will serve for an initial term of three years

CONAPI´s coordination is under the responsibility of the National Immunization Program, Ministry of Health.

Representatives from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Central America (CDC-

CAR), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) partici-

pate providing technical support.

As required by MA 464-2013, the CONAPI is currently developing rules and administrative codes, as well as a

statement for disclosing conflicts of interest & confidentiality. Once they are approved and signed by the Minister

of Health, it is expected that the CONAPI will commence its regular monthly sessions. The agenda with the top-

ics to be covered during the second half of 2013 includes: analysis of the epidemiological situation of vaccine-

preventable diseases (VPDs) and the review of the current immunization schedule, including an evaluation of the

introduction of new vaccines.

Since Guatemala does not have an immunization law assuring the sustainability of the national immunization pro-

gram, it is expected that the CONAPI will play a major role advocating for the approval of an immunization bill.

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Global Immunization News

Routine immunization services reach India’s 400,000 high risk settlements 31/07/2013 from Pankaj Bhatnagar, WHO Country Office for India

In a major boost to the intensification of routine immunization drive,

the Ministry of Health &Family Welfare, Government of India decided

to develop special plans in each block and urban municipality/ town

for vaccination in the 400000 most vulnerable settlements through

Special Immunization Weeks (SIW).

The polio programme in India has identified these high risk

settlements that have the most marginalized populations. The thrust

of the SIWs is to ensure that children in these areas are reached with

vaccines available under the National Immunization Schedule.

“The task is ambitious but it brings the focus of the immunization

services on to those who need it the most,” said Dr Nata Menabde,

WHO Representative to India.

“We do hope that the local governments, with support from partners (WHO and UNICEF), will be able to make

improvements in coverage in these settlements through these activities,” she added.

The government decided to conduct the SIWs during the months of April, June, July and August 2013. The first of

these weeks coincided with the World Immunization Week (24 – 30 April).

WHO India’s National Polio Surveillance Project (NPSP) developed detailed guidelines to assist the states and districts

with planning, implementation and monitoring of the immunization weeks. The WHO -NPSP network also facilitated

setting up of state and district task force for immunization in the states to ensure accountability.

Around 150 000 immunization sessions were organized during each SIW. More than 4.7 million vaccine doses have

been administered during the April and June SIWs. WHO India (NPSP) monitored nearly 20000 immunization

sessions and 40000 children during each round. Monitoring indicated that nearly 20% of beneficiaries, under the age of

one, received a vaccine for the first time in their lives.

It is expected that these major efforts would definitely help in improving the immunization coverage in the most

vulnerable populations.

CCL Taskforce update - Energy & Connectivity for Health Forum 31/07/2013 from Osman Mansoor, UNICEF HQ

As was announced in the May 2013 issue of the GIN, UNICEF launched a conversation on how to meet the energy

and connectivity needs of off-grid communities at a Forum held in New York on 12 June 2013. The meeting report is

now available on this website where we hope to continue the conversation by gathering ideas and experiences.

Around the Forum, UNICEF hosted a small group of CCL Taskforce technology and EPI programme experts to re-

view the case for automated data collection on vaccine storage conditions and stock management. Automated data

collection represents an important component of the new type of data-driven management that uses the potential of

machine intelligence to convert data into 'tweets for action' tailored to each person who contributes to addressing a

problem. The challenge for stock management and tracking, as compared to temperature monitoring is that there is

much more data to collect and its frequency is more variable.

At present, VPPAG and Tanzania are exploring the potential of barcodes on tertiary and secondary packaging, howev-

er the management of barcodes is hard to fully automate. Printing barcodes on the primary container would be most

useful for linking a child to a vial, however this is the most difficult aspect for industry to deliver. Therefore, it was

proposed that there would be value in exploring the use of optical character recognition (OCR) readers that could

also read barcodes, as well as the potential of stock and temperature monitoring convergence through RFID. The

exploration would also inform the value of barcodes on primary containers. By focusing on the link between vaccine

and child we can address coverage data challenges, as well as track vaccines through an imputed chain based on na-

tional network structure.

Immunization session in a high risk settlement

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Global Immunization News

Registration is now open for Second edition of LOGIVAC training in health

logistics in French 31/07/2013 from Vitalien Adoukonou, Sabrina Gaber, Philippe Jaillard and Benjamin Schreiber, Agence de

Médecine Préventive

Following the success of the first edition of the LOGIVAC training in health logistics, AMP, WHO, and the

Regional Institute of Public Health (IRSP), are launching the second edition, scheduled to start in November 2013.

The training program is conducted in French.

Registration is now open and will continue until 30 September 2013. To be eligible, candidates must hold either a

baccalaureate degree or have at least two years of tertiary education in management sciences, health sciences, or

a related field. Senior technicians in the field of public health, hygiene and sanitation, nursing and midwifery as well

as logistics technicians in a health-related sector from the public or private sector can also apply.

The one-year course provides a comprehensive health supply chain management training that was specifically

developed for the required competencies of a health supply chain manager in sub-Saharan Africa. The ultimate

objective is to to improve health system performance by ensuring that professionally trained staff is managing the

health supply chain. It features classroom learning (held at IRSP) and distance learning, as well as an internship at

the end of the academic year to apply lessons learned in a professional context. Upon completion, participants

receive a bachelor's degree from the University of Abomey-Calavi.

The training program was developed by the LOGIVAC project, implemented by AMP and WHO, in collaboration

with IRSP and Institute Bioforce. It is recognized by academic and professional bodies and meets current and

future needs of health supply chain managers in Africa. The first edition of the training brought together 24

students from eight Francophone African countries.

For more information, send an email.

Meetings/Workshops Training workshop on case-based measles surveillance for the countries of central

Africa 31/07/2013 from Jean Marie Kipela and Richard Luce, WHO AFRO Central

Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo Dates: 25-28 June 2013

Participants: 20 participants: WHO country office and field staff involved in measles surveillance from Angola

(4), Burundi (1), Cameroon (2), Central African Republic (1), Chad (4), Congo (1), Democratic Republic of Congo

(4), Equatorial Guinea (1), Gabon (1), Sao Tome & Principe (1). Co-facilitated by AFRO IST Central Africa staff (6)

and AFRO IST West (2).

Purpose: To train WHO country staff on principles and guidelines of case-based measles surveillance.

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Details: The workshop opened with a session on measles elimination at the

global and regional level with additional sessions on the principles and norms of

measles surveillance, improving measles surveillance and management of surveil-

lance data and guidelines for correct investigation of measles outbreaks. Addi-

tionally participants from each country made a presentation about the function-

ing of surveillance in their individual context and the challenges and constraints

they encounter. An interactive session on the use of the case-based measles

surveillance data management tool was also included during the training.

The workshop was a good opportunity for participants to refresh and update

their understanding of the measles elimination strategy and they returned to their countries with plans to orient

national colleagues in the respective ministries of health with the goal of reinforcing measles surveillance and im-

proving investigations and responses to outbreaks of measles.

Recommendations were formulated by the participants and will be put into action after consultation with national

colleagues. Implementation of the recommendation will be monitored and assisted by WHO IST-Central Africa

staff.

Group photo from the workshop

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Global Immunization News

First Workshop on Review Practice of Non-clinical, Clinical and PSURs Data with

Specific Consideration of Vaccines 31/07/2013 from Shadan Darbooy, IR Food and Drug Organization

Location: Tehran, Iran Dates: 16-19 February 2013

Participants: 29 participants : IR Food and Drug Organization, Medical Sciences Universities, Vaccine Manufacturer

Institutes.

Purpose: To Improve knowledge of participants on procedures of non-clinical, clinical and Periodic Safety Update

Report (PSUR) data evaluation.

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Details: The first workshop was organized by the IR Food and Drug

Organization in collaboration WHO and Paul Erlich Institute.

Participants included members of the clinical trial committee from the IR Food

and Drug Organization, experts from the biological department and the

registration office, external reviewers (academic members of medical sciences

universities) and experts from Vaccine Manufacturer Institutes (Pasture and

Razi).

The main topics presented by facilitators in this workshop include Assessment

of non-clinical studies, Assessment of clinical studies, Assessment of Risk

Management Plan (RMP) and Reference Member State (RMS) (Marketing

authorization applicants (MAA) Dossier), Assessment of Phase IV and PSUR

reports and Overview of Good Review Practice.

After the workshop, WHO facilitators had a meeting with experts from the National Regulatory Authorities with

intent to develop a draft guideline for review and evaluation of non-clinical, Clinical and PSUR files for vaccines in

Iran.

Inaugural Meeting of the ad hoc Governing Council of the International Association

of Immunization Managers (IAIM) 31/07/2013 from Peter Carrasco, Sabin Vaccine Institute

Location: Washington DC, USA Dates: 24-25 June 2013

Participants: Thirteen immunization managers and other immunization professionals from around the globe who

comprise the ad hoc Governing Council of IAIM, as well as representatives of UNICEF, Sabin Vaccine Institute, and

the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Purpose: To formally launch the International Association of Immunization Managers and convene the first meeting

of its ad hoc Governing Council.

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Details: IAIM is the first international professional association for immunization managers, and its goal is to contrib-

ute to the achievement of national, regional, and international immunization goals, including those in the Global Vac-

cine Action Plan (GVAP) through fostering forward-thinking and superior management of immunization programs.

Sabin serves as the Secretariat for IAIM.

Agenda items included election of officers of the Council, review of pro-

posed Bylaws, and presentation of the IAIM draft website. Participants

also discussed benefits to be provided by the Association. The main bene-

fits IAIM will provide for members include: international and regional con-

ferences; access to training, cutting-edge information and networking op-

portunities; peer-to-peer exchanges to share success factors and problem

-solving strategies among immunization managers; and an interactive web-

site where members can access and share best practices, research, train-

ing and tools.

The ad hoc Governing Council members will begin recruitment of new

IAIM members in the coming months by reaching out to contacts in their

regional networks. The association’s website will be live by September 9,

and new members will be able to begin formal registration at that time.

Group photo from the workshop

Participants at the inaugural meeting of the

IAIM ad hoc Governing Council. Credit:

Sofia Redford/SVI.

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Global Immunization News

XXI Meeting of PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on vaccine-preventable

diseases: “Vaccination: a shared responsibility” 31/07/2013 from Immunization Unit, PAHO

Location: Quito, Ecuador Dates: 3-5 July 2013

Participants: Immunization program managers and national immunization technical advisory group presidents of

countries of the Americas, as well as professionals from national VPD laboratories and surveillance networks.

Also, immunization partners and experts, and PAHO officers from countries and the regional level.

Purpose: To issue recommendations to address the current and future challenges faced by national

immunizations programs in the Americas.

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Details: PAHO TAG on VPDs was originally established in 1985 to set forth evidence-based strategies for polio

eradication. Since then, it has progressively expanded its mandate to the current aim of strengthening the

immunization policy dialogue among key stakeholders in the Americas involved in efforts to control vaccine-

preventable diseases (VPDs). TAG functions as the leading regional forum to review and promote regional goals

and strategies for immunization. Specifically, the TAG reviews national immunization program progress and

results, assists in the identification of research needs, and oversees the progress of research efforts in course.

During its XXI Meeting, the TAG reviewed topics ranging from pneumococcal vaccination in adults, polio

situation, second dose application of measles-containing vaccines, pertussis, yellow fever, HPV, meningococcal and

influenza vaccination, immunization registries, the PAHO Revolving Fund, vaccination during humanitarian

emergencies, vaccines in the pipeline, evidence-based decision-making, Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP)

indicators, and costing and planning of immunization programs. Also, the PAHO 2013 Immunization Award was

announced. The final report with TAG recommendations can be found at this link.

Second Regional Meeting for Strengthening Vaccine Pharmacovigilance in the

Eastern Mediterranean Region: Strengthening Vaccine Safety Communication 31/07/2013 from Leah Jordano-Kudalis, Philipp Lambach, Emily Newton, WHO HQ and Houda Langar, WHO

EMRO

Location: Tunis, Tunisia Dates: 2-4 July 2013

Participants: 45 participants representing 20 EMRO countries, the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterrane-

an (EMRO), WHO, UNICEF India, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

Purpose: Build vaccine safety communication capacity of national regulatory officials and Expanded Programme

on Immunization (EPI) programme managers by piloting a newly developed WHO Vaccine Safety Communication

training package.

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Details: At this workshop, WHO piloted a newly developed train-

ing package on vaccine safety communication responding to the

voiced need of the regional countries to prepare regulatory offi-

cials and EPI staff for communication challenges following the intro-

duction of new vaccines and potentially emerging pandemics. The

project was initiated by the WHO Global Vaccine Safety team and

the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, in collaboration

with WHO Department of Communications as well as external

communication experts from institutions such as UNICEF India

and LSHTM.

The sessions of the piloted training workshop are designed to be interactive, including group exercises, role plays,

and simulated media interviews, giving participants the opportunity to work on defining desired communications

outcomes, strengthening audience analysis, and developing key messages. Participants also received updates on

technical resources available to support risk communication, such as the latest Global Advisory Committee on

Vaccine Safety (GACVS) statements, information sheets on vaccine reaction rates, and the Vaccine Safety Basics e-

learning course.

At the end of the three-day training, participating national officials agreed to participate in an evaluation exercise

assessing current progress in developing national communication plans at regulatory or EPI level. In follow up to

the workshop, input from participants will update the pilot training package which will be further reviewed by

WHO and partners and shared with regional colleagues for further adaptation to their regional contexts.

Group photo from the Regional Meeting on

Strengthening Vaccine Pharmacovigillance

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Global Immunization News

Workshop to review the monitoring of seasonal influenza vaccination 31/07/2013 from Alba Maria Ropero, Martha Velandia, Hannah Kurtis. Immunization Unit, Pan American Health

Organization

Location: Quito, Ecuador Dates: 2 July 2013

Participants: Expanded Programme on immunization delegates from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador,

Honduras and Mexico, a representative from the Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions

Network (TEPHINET) and PAHO immunization officials from country and the regional levels.

Purpose: To discuss the challenges and opportunities in relation to the information systems and strategies for monitoring

influenza vaccination coverage in the Region of the Americas, as well as some of the advances of the network for influenza

vaccine effectiveness of Latin American and the Caribbean (REVELAC-i).

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Details: The participants reviewed the influenza vaccination data reported by countries to PAHO through the PAHO/

WHO-UNICEF Joint Reporting Form on immunization (JRF). These data included the risk groups targeted, the data on

numerators and denominators used for each group, the issue of monitoring 2nd doses for children vaccinated for the first

time, and the processes for data collection and reporting, including data sources and tools. Also, the advances of the

network for influenza vaccine effectiveness of Latin American and the Caribbean (REVELAC-i) were discussed (see GIN

March 2013), including challenges to obtaining accurate vaccination history of patients with influenza.

As a product of this meeting, PAHO and an ad hoc working group including selected countries and TEPHINET will

develop a document outlining a proposal to standardize definitions and procedures to improve the accuracy of influenza

coverage reports, through improved data collection, reporting and use.

WHO/Europe supports development of evidence-based immunization policy and

practice workshop 31/07/2013 from Liudmila Mosina, WHO Europe

Location: Antalya, Turkey Dates: 27-29 May 2013

Participants: NITAG members from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova,

Ukraine and Uzbekistan as well as members and secretariat representatives of long-established NITAGs from Germany,

the Netherlands and the United States, along with members of the European Technical Advisory Group of Experts

(ETAGE)

Purpose: To make evidence-based decisions related to the i) introduction of new vaccines recently made available

(rotavirus, pneumococcal, human papilloma virus vaccines and others); ii) introduction of inactivated polio vaccine in the

context of Polio Eradication Endgame Strategic Plan, and iii) expansion of seasonal influenza vaccination programmes.

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Details: WHO/Europe provides ongoing support to national immunization technical

advisory groups (NITAGs) in low- and middle-income countries, in part by building their

capacity to provide scientific recommendations to their ministries of health on

immunization policy and practice.

As part of this effort, WHO/Europe, in collaboration with the United States Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has developed training materials.

The training provided an opportunity to discuss framework for making evidence-based

recommendations; criteria to be considered; possible sources of evidence and

opportunities for international collaboration; updated methods to evaluate evidence;

preparation of NITAG meeting reports for ministries of health; case studies on

considering the introduction of new vaccines.

The workshop was co-sponsored by the Supporting National Independent Immunization

and Vaccine Advisory Committees (SIVAC) Initiative, and was led by the Regional Office and CDC experts. The Regional

Office and CDC will follow up the training by providing consultancy support to participating NITAGs in preparing topics

for their next meetings and by reviewing meeting reports and recommendations developed for the ministries of health.

Participating NITAG members from Germany, the Netherlands, and the United States, and the ETAGE members

expressed their interest in continuing collaboration with WHO and in providing further support to recently established

NITAGs by:

• sharing recently conducted literature reviews and other information;

• hosting members of NITAGs at their meetings; and

• sharing their experiences and best practices at other WHO meetings and trainings.

In November 2013 the Regional Office will use the developed training methodology and materials in a similar workshop

for NITAGs from other middle-income countries in the Region.

Group photo from the work-

shop on evidence-based im-

munization policy and practice

Page 8

Global Immunization News

Training Workshop on Cost Effectiveness Analysis of New Vaccines Introduction 31/07/2013 from Irtaza Ahmad Chaudhri, WHO EMRO and Aline Munier, Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP)

Location: Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt Dates: 22-24 June 2013

Participants: 20 participants nominated by Ministries of Health from Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan,

Lebanon and Tunisia. Partners organizations: AMP, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), London School of Hy-

giene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), PAHO, PATH, Sabin, WHO EMRO and WHO Headquarters.

Purpose: Raise awareness on the value of using evidence-based decision-making methods for immunization policy

-making, introduce basic concepts of economic evaluations applied to immunization, with an emphasis on cost-

effectiveness analysis by using the ProVac Initiative & ProVac International Working group’s country experiences

and presenting the TRIVAC model.

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Details: WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) in collaboration

with The Agence de Médecine Préventive, organized, in the framework of

the ProVac International Working Group, a regional training workshop on

evaluation of cost-effectiveness analysis of new vaccines introduction, with

a focus on pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV).

This workshop was an opportunity for six middle income countries from

EMRO region who requested support to increase their knowledge on the

use of economic evaluation to inform new vaccine introduction policy, to

improve their capacity to conduct country-led cost-effectiveness analyses,

and to share experiences. During the workshop, plenary sessions alternat-

ed with working group exercises during which each country could work

on ProVac tools (TRIVAC cost-effectiveness model) and brainstorm on

their national data (source, quality, availability).

Two of the participating countries are already receiving direct technical support as part of the ProVac Internation-

al Working Group (Egypt and Iran). The others expressed a strong interest in collaborating with AMP and WHO

EMRO in order to conduct country-led cost-effectiveness analyses of new vaccines introduction.

Meeting of the Vaccine-Preventable Disease Laboratory Networks for the Region

of the Americas 31/07/2013 from Gloria Rey-Benito, PAHO

Location: Quito, Ecuador Dates: 2 July 2013

Participants: Representatives for 25 Region’s public health labs, technical experts from the Argentina’s Malbran

Institute and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as by PAHO national and re-

gional immunization advisors.

Purpose: To identify the capacities, strengths and opportunities for maintaining the achievements, facing new

challenges, and improving the performance of the Networks.

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Details: Technical presentations and discussions addressed the following topics: Status of VPDs in the Region;

essential role of the VPD Lab Network, its achievements and challenges; experiences of sentinel hospital surveil-

lance of pneumonias and diarrheas caused by rotavirus; achievements and challenges of the Invasive Bacterial Dis-

ease Lab Network; experiences of the integration and quality control of Mexico’s national measles/rubella labora-

tory network; experiences of the implementation of a national lab network to support HPV surveillance in Argen-

tina; and Past and future of lab diagnostics of pertussis.

The main conclusions and recommendations were: The Laboratory Network of

the Americas has been providing support for VPD eradication, elimination, and

control initiatives, the essential role of the laboratory is to provide accurate, reli-

able and timely information that helps guide resource use, as well as to support

the documentation of the impact of the introductions of new vaccines.

Country representatives reaffirmed the need to promote the integration of data

generated by laboratories with that of epidemiological surveillance, in order to

enable the comprehensive analysis of VPDs at the national and regional levels.

It is important to guarantee the compliance with the indicators that have been

defined for VPD surveillance. To this end, the lab performance indicators should be included in surveillance infor-

mation systems and reported to the Ministries of Health and to PAHO/WHO. TAG recommendations, including

those related to the VPD lab network, can be found at this link.

Group photo from the workshop on

cost effectiveness analysis of new vac-

cines introduction

Group Photo from the meeting

on VPD Lab Networks

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Global Immunization News

Vaccine Safety Workshop 31/07/2013 from Carlos Castillo-Solórzano and Pamela Bravo, Pan American Health Organization

Location: Botota, Colombia Dates: 15-19 July 2013

Participants: Eighty participants representing Colombia’s thirty-six administrative departments; staff from the

National Immunization Program (NIP) and the National Regulatory Authority (NRA); and two officers from Mexico’s

NIP and NRA.

Purpose: To strengthen national and sub national local capacity on vaccine safety, including surveillance of Events

Supposedly Attributable to Immunization or Vaccination (ESAVI), injection safety, causality assessment and risk

communication.

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Details: The 4.5-day workshop follows a standard methodology that

consists of 7 core modules, addressing the main areas of work on

vaccine safety: a) National Regulatory Authority; b) Laboratory for

quality control; c) Injection Safety; d) Clinical aspects of ESAVIs; e)

Introduction to Causality Assessment; f) ESAVI surveillance; g) Risk

Communication.

The training follows a problem-based approach to learning. Facilitators

created an open forum and a positive atmosphere for the free exchange

of opinions and discussion between participants and facilitators, as well

as among participants. Additionally, multiple choice questions were

included in each of the presentations for the participants to pick their

answers using color cards. The latter contributed to foster an active

participation among the audience.

During the workshop, a keynote lecture on current issues on vaccine

safety was given by Dr Patrick Zuber, Group leader of Vaccine Safety at the World Health Organization (WHO).

During his lecture, Dr Zuber reassured the participants on the safety profile of the HPV vaccine after an extensively

post marketing surveillance data review. The recent introduction of HPV vaccine in Colombia had raised some

unfunded safety concerns and misbeliefs among parents and/or caregivers.

PAHO will provide technical support to the Colombian NIP for the workshop to be replicated in priority

municipalities.

Essential Training Package for HPV vaccine Introduction (2013) WHO developed a set of essential training materials for the introduction of HPV vaccination that is available in both

English and French. The material have been tailored for the introduction of the two available vaccine types on the

market Gardasil and Cervarix. The essential training package is aimed at health worker and contains notes for the

facilitators to guide them. The package has been developed based on the comprehensive approach concept promot-

ed by WHO that considers the introduction of the HPV vaccine as part of a comprehensive approach to cervical

cancer prevention and controls as well as an integrated approach to adolescent health.

Vaccines and vaccination against yellow fever - WHO Position Paper – June 2013 This document is now online. In accordance with its mandate to provide guidance to Member States on health policy

matters, WHO issues a series of regularly updated position papers on vaccines and combinations of vaccines against

diseases that have an international public health impact. These papers are concerned primarily with the use of vac-

cines in large-scale immunization programmes. They summarize essential background information on diseases and

vaccines, and conclude with the current WHO position concerning their use in the global context. This updated posi-

tion paper on yellow fever (YF) vaccines and vaccination replaces the previous 2003 WHO position paper and sum-

marizes recent developments in the field.

Enthusiastic participants of the safety work-

shop picked letter A to answer one of the

presenter's questions.

New Resources

Page 10

Global Immunization News

Film series chronicles the global TB epidemic and the race to develop new tools to

prevent it 31/07/2013 from Raychel Schwartz, Aeras

EXPOSED: The Race Against Tuberculosis is a four-part series produced by Aeras, a nonprofit biotech advancing

tuberculosis vaccines for the world. The series tells the story of TB through the compelling narratives of four

individuals: a young woman from Tennessee who survives multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; a doctor in India who

struggles daily to cure his patients; a mother in South Africa who volunteers in a clinical trial of a new TB vaccine

with the hope of one day protecting her daughter; and a researcher in the UK who has dedicated 12 years of her

life to developing a new TB vaccine. Their stories are interwoven with expert commentary to produce an inspiring

series that will serve the TB community for years to come, motivating policymakers to direct funding to the cause

and inspiring innovative minds to dedicate their lives to finding the vaccine that will end the global epidemic of

tuberculosis.

New Supplement on Hib Vaccine Data 31/07/2013 from Lois Privor-Dumm, International Vaccine Access Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of

Public Health

The July issue of The Journal of Pediatrics features a supplement on Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib),

sponsored by the Hib Initiative and guest edited by Drs Rana Hajjeh, Kim Mulholland, and Mathuram Santosham.

The supplement features 13 original research articles, including several presenting new data on the impact of Hib

vaccines in developing countries, including Bangladesh, The Gambia, Mongolia, and Mozambique. Like the studies

that have come before them, these studies continue to demonstrate the significant impact Hib vaccines have on

reducing pneumonia and meningitis. In addition to disease impact, the supplement also features articles on disease

burden, vaccine efficacy, and cost-effectiveness. More than 115 authors from around the world contributed to the

supplement.

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Global Immunization News

Regional Meetings and Key Events Related to Immunization Dates Title of Meeting Location

2013 Meetings

SEPTEMBER

9-10 Measles Virus Mini-symposium Annecy, France

11-14 5th European Congress of Virology 2013 Lyon, France

16-19 63rd session of the Regional Committee for Europe Portugal

16-20 Global New and Under-utilized Vaccines Surveillance Management Meeting

Geneva, Switzerland

30-4 Oct 65th session of the Regional Committee for the Americas Washington D.C, USA

OCTOBER

7 Workshop on the Methodology to Reach the Unvaccinated Child Geneva, Switzerland

10-11 European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE)

Copenhagen, Denmark

15

Inauguration of the WHO collaborating centre for evidence-informed im-munization policymaking of AMP’s health policy and institutional develop-ment unit

Paris, France

16-17 Immunization Practices Advisory Committee Geneva, Switzerland

26-31 60th session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Tunisia

NOVEMBER

5-6 Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization Geneva, Switzerland

19-20 Second Workshop to Share Lessons Learned in the Development and Implementation of Computerized National Immunization Registries

Brasilia, Brazil

22-23 EMRO/GAVI Twentieth Regional Working Group Meeting Tunisia

25-30 EURO Vaccine management workshop Copenhagen, Denmark

27-29 Measles and Rubella/CRS Elimination in the African Region TBD

DECEMBER

04-05 Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety Meeting Geneva, Switzerland

Links Relevant to Immunization

Page 12

Global Immunization News

Regional Websites New Vaccines in AFRO PAHO’s website for Immunization Vaccine Preventable Diseases in EMRO Vaccine Preventable Diseases in EURO New Vaccines in SEARO Immunization in WPRO

Newsletters PAHO/Comprehensive Family Immunization Program-FCH: I mmunization Newsletter

The Civil Society Dose - A quarterly newsletter of the GAVI

CSO Constituency

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Technet Digest

PATH’s RotaFlash – breaking news on rotavirus disease and

vaccines

IVAC’s FOCUS on Vaccine Access

Global Websites Department of Immunization, Vaccines & Biologicals, World Health Organization WHO New Vaccines Immunization Financing Immunization Monitoring Agence de Médecine Préventive EPIVAC GAVI Alliance Website IMMUNIZATION basics (JSI) International Vaccine Institute PATH Vaccine Resource Library Dengue Vaccine Initiative SABIN Sustainable Immunization Financing SIVAC Program Website UNICEF Supply Division Website Japanese Encephalitis Resources Malaria Vaccine Initiative Measles Initiative Meningitis Vaccine Project Multinational Influenza Seasonal Mortality Study (MISMS) PATH Rotavirus Vaccine Access and Delivery Website RHO Cervical Cancer (HPV Vaccine) WHO/ICO Information Center on HPV and Cervical Can-cer SIGN Updates Technet

Global Websites Vaccine Information Management System PneumoAction International Vaccine Access Center American Red Cross Child Survival PAHO ProVac Initiative NUVI Website Gardasil Access Program Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) LOGIVAC Project Africhol Coalition Against Typhoid Immunization Service Delivery European Vaccine Initiative Africa Routine Immunization Systems Essentials Project (ARISE)

Vaccines Today