Launch of the yellow fever preventive mass vaccination campaign, June 8th 2023, Uganda 

EYE Strategy June newsletter 

Correction
In last month’s newsletter, we referred to the World Health Organization’s Evaluation ‘Team’. This should have been the Evaluation ‘Office’. To find out more about them, please click here.  

EYE on Yellow Fever podcast 

Uganda’s introduction of yellow fever vaccine into routine immunization (RI) - a video by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance 

Uganda completed the rollout of YF vaccine into its RI programme in October 2022. This has been a great achievement by the country and for the EYE Strategy, as Uganda is the second of four countries that were pending to introduce YF into their RI from the start of the Strategy.   

A film crew captured some of the immunization activities earlier this year. Click here to watch the film. A thank you to our partner, Gavi, for documenting this milestone. Click here to watch the film. 

Gavi ‘Raising Generational ImmUnity’ conference 

Seth Berkley – former CEO of Gavi - speaking at the Raising Generational ImmUnity conference

Country updates

Reactive Vaccination Campaigns (RVCs)  

All RVCs are approved by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG) and supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Central African Republic (CAR)

Following one confirmed case of a worker in a forest area, an RVC was confirmed to target ~ 233,400 people for protection against YF. The vaccination campaign will target the resident population and seasonal workers conducting forest activities. The campaign is planned for August. 

Cameroon

A post-campaign coverage survey has been undertaken following multi-antigen vaccination campaigns to protect 545,763 from yellow fever, in three districts: Fumbot, Malentouen, and Ngaoundéré Urbain.  

Post-campaign coverage surveys provide an added layer of detail to vaccination campaign reports, which show overall numbers of people vaccinated, geography and age. Post-campaign coverage surveys also determine the sex and individual ages of people vaccinated.  

Images from the Bolivian communication campaign to raise awareness of the yellow fever vaccination campaigns in April & May 2023 © Pan American Health Office (PAHO)

During the Vaccination Week in the Americas (April to May 2023), with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), vaccination strategies against yellow fever were intensified.

The Expanded Program on Immunization administered 89,162 doses of the vaccine to protect people between the ages of 1 and 59 years throughout the country. Particular emphasis was placed on municipalities at high risk of yellow fever infection: Beni, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba.

A communication campaign was implemented to encourage acceptance of the vaccine, which resulted in support for outbreak controls and awareness-raising and information for domestic travelers, according to the epidemiological profile of affected populations. See campaign photos above.

Preventive mass vaccination campaigns (PMVCs)

Launch of the yellow fever vaccination campaigns on June 8th, 2023, including attendance by Dr Jane Aceng (Health Minister, Uganda) 

Uganda   

Following last year’s successful introduction of the YF vaccine into Uganda’s routine immunization (RI) programme, the country’s multi-year YF PMVC began on 9th June. Three phases of the PMVC are planned. Phase one in June 2023; phase two will be implemented in October 2023, and phase 3 in October 2024. 

The first phase of the vaccination campaign covering 51 districts in six regions (Kabale, Kabarole, Hoima, Lira, Gulu, and Arua) is almost complete. It is targeting ~13,397,640 people, which amounts to 93% of the population in five of the 51 districts. 

Persons of ages 9 months to 60 years were included in the campaign, as well as the refugee population. Phase two will cover the districts of Buikwe and Buvuma. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)    

YF vaccination campaigns in Lomami, Kasai and Central Kasai will be combined with measles round 1 for improved efficiency and are due to begin in August 2023.  

In total, 17 million people are anticipated to have been protected in these districts.  Further PMVCs in Kongo Central, Kwango, Kwilu, and Mai Ndombe are due to take place in October 2023.    

Nigeria   

All states with planned vaccination campaigns for 2022 have now been completed. Borno state, which was not fully covered by vaccination campaigns in previous years due to security concerns, now plans to vaccinate the unprotected parts of the state this year, as the situation has improved. More information will be provided in due course.   

Meet the Partners 

Publications 

Strengthening the global architecture for health emergency prevention, preparedness, response and resilience 

The State of the World’s Children 2023 – report by UNICEF

Events

Technical Advisory Group on Arbovirus (TAG) meeting, Accra, Ghana 

The Global Arbovirus Initiative (GLAI) was launched last year in March to tackle emerging and re-emerging arboviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the World Health Organization’s World Health Emergencies Programme, Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, and Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department. 

The Technical Advisory Group on Arbovirus (who.int) met for its first in-person meeting in Accra, Ghana on June 20-22, 2023.  

The WHO Secretariat provided an update on its main activities relating to the implementation of GLAI, and the TAG members provided recommendations on the priority actions on arboviruses in coming years:  

1. The need for integrated data systems that are key to monitoring the transmission of known arboviruses, and early detection of the introduction of emerging arboviruses. The TAG highlighted the importance of: 

   • data sharing, collaboration and transparency 

   • the integration of epidemiological, laboratory, entomological, and environmental data that are pivotal to better understand the transmission dynamics of known arboviruses and to prepare for the emergence of arboviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential. 
      

2. The development of preemptive vector control surveillance and interventions for implementation during inter-epidemic periods in urban settings including: 

   • strengthening capacities in integrated vector surveillance and control 

   • building multisectoral collaborations for vector surveillance and control and  

   • integrating urban readiness for yellow fever vector control in susceptible urban centers. 
      

3. Although genomics plays an important role in arbovirus surveillance, it should not detract from basic diagnostic capacity building; access to genomics will however be pivotal to strengthen molecular diagnostic target matching and to determine genotype circulation associated with vector transmissibility and disease severity. 
    

4. The development of innovative platforms for partner engagement that seek to strengthen community engagement and resilience to arboviruses. 
    

5. The development of an inventory of partners working on arboviruses to expand partnerships for the next steps of GLAI’s implementation.  

‘Why Gender Matters’ webinar series (organised by WHO’s Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Department) 

Members of the EYE Secretariat have been attending this webinar series. These knowledge sharing sessions will help to inform actions arising from the EYE Strategy mid-term evaluation recommendations; one of which is to have a greater focus on gender and human rights in the implementation of the EYE Strategy.  For more information, please see https://www.who.int/teams/immunization-vaccines-and-biologicals/gender

Selection of participants to a joint TDR-GBIF training workshop on data sharing on vectors to prevent and control vector-borne diseases within the context of multisectoral approaches 

Deadline for submission: 30 July 2023, 5pm (Thailand Time) 

To increase community capacity for sharing data on organisms that serve as vectors of human diseases, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and TDR (Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) will host a two-day training workshop, on 24–25 November 2023, prior to the Asia Pacific Conference on Mosquito and Vector Control (AMV) held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

The organizers encourage individuals from low- and middle-income countries who wish to improve their skills in handling biodiversity data linked to vector-borne diseases to apply by 30 July 2023 at 17:00 ICT (UTC +7) for a chance to have their participation sponsored by TDR. 

Interested candidates should consult the call for complete details, including eligibility and application process. Candidates can expect to receive notification of their selection no later than 30 days after the deadline. 

For more details and to apply, click here.