Vaccination in acute humanitarian emergencies: a framework for decision making

This decision-framework document aims to provide an approach for deciding which vaccines, if pre-emptively and properly delivered at the outset of an emergency, would constitute high priority public-health interventions and would reduce avoidable death and disease. It will assist the user to determine thoughtfully, deliberately, ethically and rationally whether or not the delivery of one or more vaccines to specific target populations during the acute phase of an emergency, would result in an overall saving of lives, a reduction in the population burden of disease and in generally more favourable outcomes.

The intended audience for the decision framework includes senior-level government and partner agency officials who are expected to work together to reach a decision regarding the need of one or more vaccines in a given humanitarian emergency.

It is not intended to be used by community-level health workers, given the level of detail and complexity included in the document.