Project Optimize was a unique five-year collaboration between the World Health Organization (WHO) and PATH to identify ways in which supply chains can be optimized to meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines. The overarching goal was to generate momentum to move the immunization world closer to an ideal vaccine supply chain that supports stronger, more adaptable, and more efficient logistics systems, extending the reach of lifesaving health technologies to people around the world.
This page contains links to important project Optimize publications in the following categories.
- Information systems
- Vaccine presentation
- Cold chain technologies
- Temperature monitoring
- Controlled temperature chain
- Supply system design and policies
- 2020 Vision for Vaccine Supply and logistics Systems
- Country reports
Banner used in the Project Optimize Travelling Exhibit. Photo: WHO/PATH.
Information systems
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immunization information systems: vrMIS in Mozambique | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Immunization information systems: wVSSM in Tunisia | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Immunization information systems: Logistimo in South Sudan | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Immunization information systems: ImmReg in Vietnam | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Immunization information systems: VaxTrak in Vietnam | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Immunization information systems: IIS in Albania | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Pourquoi devrait-on améliorer les systèmes d'information pour la vaccination? | PATH | 2013 | Guidance | French |
| PATH Immunization Information Systems - Overview | PATH | 2013 | Guidance | English |
| Keeping Track of Vietnam's Vaccines | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2012 | Case study | English |
| Before and After: How an Online Immunization Registry has Benefitted Health Workers in Albania | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Vietnam’s Immunization Registries Go Online | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Planning an Information Systems Project: A Toolkit for Public Health Managers | Jan Grevendonk, Brian Taliesin, Dan Brigden, PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Guidance | English |
| A case for better immunization information systems | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Guidance | English, French |
Vaccine presentation
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Designing vaccines for developing-country populations: ideal attributes, delivery devices, and presentation formats | Debra Kristensen, Michel Zaffran | 2010 | Journal article | English |
Cold chain technologies
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic refrigerators for vaccine storage in Tunisia | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | Case study | English | |
| Unplugged and keeping cool | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Stimulating innovation in the vaccine cold chain equipment industry | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Installing and Testing Battery-Free Solar Refrigerators in Vietnam | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Direct-Drive Solar Vaccine Refrigerators | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
Temperature monitoring
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temperature Monitoring for Vaccine Quality | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2012 | Case study | English, French |
Controlled temperature chain
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled temperature chain: Taking advantage of the true heat stability of vaccines | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2012 | Case study | English, French |
| Use of MenAfriVac™ (meningitis A vaccine) in a controlled temperature chain (CTC) during campaigns: guidance for immunization programme decision-makers and managers | World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Guidance | English, French |
Supply system design and policies
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Integration of vaccine supply chains with other health commodity supply chains: A framework for decision making | Prashant Yadav, Patrick Lydon, Julianna Oswald, Modibo Dicko, Michel Zaffran | 2014 | Journal article | English |
| A Moving Warehouse Delivers Vaccines and Essential Health Supplies in Senegal | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Integrating the Supply Chains of Vaccines and Other Health Commodities | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English, French |
| Outsourcing Vaccine Supply Chain and Logistics to the Private Sector | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2012 | Case study | English, French |
2020 vision for vaccine supply and logistics systems
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Now Is the Time | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2020 | Guidance | English |
| The imperative for stronger vaccine supply and logistics systems | Michel Zaffran, Jos Vandelaer, Debra Kristensen, Bjørn Melgaard, Prashant Yadav, K. O. Antwi-Agyei, Heidi Lasher | 2013 | Journal article | English |
| Achieving the Global Vision for Future Immunization Supply and Logistics Systems: Action Plans | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2012 | Guidance | English |
| Developing a Vision for Immunization Supply Systems in 2020: Landscape Analysis Summaries | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2011 | Guidance | English |
Country reports
Optimize collaborated with national immunization programs in six countries to demonstrate innovative solutions to supply chain challenges. Detailed information on these demonstration projects can be found in the country-specific Optimize reports listed below.
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optimize: Vietnam Report | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Optimize: Tunisia Report | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Optimize: South Sudan Report | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Optimize: Senegal Report | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 1960 | Guidance | English |
| Optimize: Albania Report | Silva Bino, Jan Grevendonk, A. Mesi, E. Nelaj | 2013 | Case study | English |
| Optimize: Guatemala Report | PATH, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2013 | Case study | English |