The widespread use of multi-dose vaccine containers in low- and middle-income countries’ immunization programs is assumed to offer benefits and efficiencies for health systems, such as reducing the purchase price per vaccine dose and easing cold chain requirements. Yet the broader impacts on immunization coverage, costs, and safety are not well understood. It is also unclear what processes governments typically go through to determine their choices about dose per container (DPC), and what information decision-makers have or use when determining DPC. These technical resources explore current decision-making on DPC options and the relationship between DPC and immunization systems, including operational costs, timely coverage, safety, product costs/wastage, and policy/correct use.
Watch this video, explore the resources below and share your thoughts with us on DPC.
- Case studies - A series of case studies on DPCP's implemented country-level research, decision making on DPC options, computer simulation modeling, and a review of tools on DPC.
- Decision support resources - Resources that provide decision makers with evidence that can be generalized to help make effective DPC decisions based on country context. Country- and global-level stakeholders — such as Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) managers, logisticians, Ministries of Health (MOHs), Ministries of Finance (MOFs), donors, procurement agencies, manufacturers, global partners, and other stakeholders — can use these resources to better understand the potential trade-offs of various DPC choices and to select the best vaccine presentations for their program.
Case studies
Decision support resources
| Title | Author | Year | Type | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vaccine Dose Per Container: Deciding What's Right for Your Immunization Program | Dose Per Container Partnership (DPCP), JSI | 2019 | Guidance | English |
| Introducing the Measles and Measles-Rubella (MR) Vaccine Five-dose vial Presentations Facts Sheet | UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) | 2019 | Guidance | English |
| Immunization Dose Per Container: Decision Support Resource | Dose Per Container Partnership (DPCP), JSI | 2019 | Guidance | English |
| Findings in Deciding DPC | Dose Per Container Partnership (DPCP) | 2019 | Guidance | English |
| Immunization Tools to Help the Dose Per Container Decision | Dose Per Container Partnership (DPCP), JSI | 2018 | Case study | English |