The story of a time and temperature indicator (vaccine vial monitor) that has dramatically changed the course of vaccine management practices as well as shaped the future of cold chain, THE BOOK OF VVM: YESTERDAY-TODAY-and-TOMORROW is now available for free download in ePUB3 and PDF formats. http:/...

Thirty countries have now introduced IPV vaccine as part of objective 2 of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan. In August, the second of the polio endemic countries, Pakistan, introduced IPV nationally. There are now 30 countries that have introduced the vaccine. Nigeria, the other ende...

by Dan Brigden, WHO Over the last five years, project Optimize has worked closely with national immunization programs to explore innovative solutions to supply chain challenges. Each project has attempted to solve a particular immunization challenge—from an electronic immunization registry in Alb...

The 'Moving Warehouse' (MW) system of vaccine distribution issues vaccine as needed from a mobile stock to a series of stores situated on a pre-planned delivery circuit. MW has proved to be the best of the available choices in countries of three regions, by achieving the following comparative advant...

by Jan Grevendonk, WHO Project Optimize has worked closely with national immunization programs throughout the world to demonstrate innovative solutions to supply chain challenges. Many of these demonstration projects have involved the use of information systems to help improve the performance of im...

by Michel Zaffran, WHO In December 2007, a team of talented individuals from PATH and the World Health Organization (WHO) came together to form project Optimize, a five-year collaboration to identify ways in which supply chains can be optimized to meet the demands of an increasingly large and cos...

VaxTrak in Vietnam VaxTrak helps health workers keep track of vaccine stock. In 2011, the Vietnamese National Expanded Programme on Immunization introduced VaxTrak in the provinces of Phu Tho, Quang Tri, and Ben Tre. This short video shows how VaxTrak works and examines the impact it has had. [you...

by Heidi Lasher, consultant, and Kathleen Tiffay, PATH Much of the knowledge generated by project Optimize and its partners is being shared in reports and presentations published on the PATH and Word Health Organization (WHO) websites. However, it is not always easy to reach national-level audien...

by Kamel Senouci and Lara Gautier, AMP Many national immunization programs rely on the professional advice of national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) to help them make critical decisions on introducing new vaccines. Implemented in April 2008 by Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP)...

To accompany the article “Online immunization registry transforms the work of health staff in Albania” in this month’s newsletter, project Optimize has publishedhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/projectoptimize/sets/72157630314080396/" target="_blank"> a photo set on Flickr that reveals...

An interview with Silvia Bino, Albania Institute of Public Health The Institute of Public Health in Albania recently developed an online immunization registry to replace their existing paper-based system. In May 2011, the new system—named IIS—was piloted in Shkoder district. One year later, Op.ti.m...

Cross-posted from the January 2012 issue of GIN with thanks. 31/01/2012 from Madhav Balakrishnan, WHO HQ The Global Network for Post-marketing Surveillance (PMS) of Vaccines was established by WHO in early 2008 with a primary objective to monitor the safety of WHO prequalified vaccines supplied thr...

by Erida Nelaj, Albania Institute for Public Health and Jan Grevendonk, PATH In May 2011, the Albanian Institute for Public Health (IPH) launched a new web-based immunization registry and vaccine ordering system in the district of Skodra. Based on the acceptability and success of the system in Skod...

Using mobile phones to track immunizations by Jørn Ivar Klungsøyr on behalf of http://www.openXdata.org (http://www.openXdata.org) and Jan Grevendonk, PATH In August 2010, the Norwegian Research Council approved funding for a new project that will allow countries to manage immunization programs wit...

Albania explores computerized immunization registries by Jan Grevendonk, PATH, and Olivier Ronveaux, WHO In early 2009, the Albanian Institute for Public Health (IPH) asked Optimize, a WHO-PATH collaboration, to develop a strategy for a computerized national immunization registry and vaccine orderin...

POST 01023E : POLIOMYELITIS ERADICATION : MATERIAL OF INTEREST 9 December 2006 ____________________________________ We are sending you six documents of great interest on the polio situation in the world. We are again thanking Robert Davis and Evelyn Chege who sent them in Tech Updates. ...

POST 00539E : ASPIRATION BEFORE INJECTION Follow-up on Post 00537E 12 January 2003 ___________________________________________________________________ Mary Catlin (mailto:[log in to unmask]) from the USA makes some comments on John Clements' reply to Bernard Kaic. This is followed by a s...

POST 00539E : ASPIRATION BEFORE INJECTION Follow-up on Post 00537E 12 January 2003 ___________________________________________________________________ Mary Catlin (mailto:[log in to unmask]) from the USA makes some comments on John Clements' reply to Bernard Kaic. This is followed by a s...

POST 00446E : USE OF VVMs ON ALL VACCINES 15 April 2002 ______________________________________________________________________________ Dr. Jayaprakash of UNICEF/Micronesia contributes the following comments on on VVMs. His questions are partly answered and further information will be sough...

Post00373 NEW VAX INTRO + ORDER ADS + NEW + NEWS ++ 10 September 2001 CONTENTS 1. A "THINK PIECE" ON INTRODUCTION OF NEW VACCINE 2. REVISED PAGES FOR REVIEW: ORDERING INJECTION EQUIPMENT 3. INAPPROPRIATE DRUG DONATIONS: THE NEED FOR REFORMS 4. INTRODUCING TRAINING FOCAL POINT: ...