Since the inception of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in 1979, Bangladesh has made remarkable strides in delivering life-saving vaccines to every eligible child and women. Under the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the national EPI has played a pivotal role in controlling, eliminating, and eradicating vaccine-preventable d...

One of the four principles of the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) is the use of good quality and adequate data. This principle is essential to monitor progress, optimize the performance of immunization programs, and lay the foundation so that people everywhere at all levels and ages benefit fully from vaccines for their health and well-being. To ...

Dates: 10 – 12 March 2025 Venue: Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar Participants: A total of 65 participants from different departments such as CentralEpidemiology Unit, States and Regions Public Health, IHR, cEPI, Medical Services, CDC, Disaster, Health Literacy and Promotion Unit. The exercise was supported by 12 facilitators, including the NCCPE Chair, senior...

In September 2024, Jamaica's Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) initiated an assessment of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) using the PAHO/WHO Performance Monitoring Tool. The tool comprises 13 components, each rated across five implementation levels — from “initial” to “optimized.” A team of five PAHO/WHO experts, together with an ...

The 15th International Rotavirus Symposium will celebrate two decades of rotavirus vaccines while looking ahead to future challenges and opportunities. This year’s theme, "Rotavirus Vaccines at 20 Years: Success, Challenges, and the Road Ahead," sets the stage for insightful discussions and collaborations. This symposium will bring together researc...

From 26 April to 3 May 2025, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), together with the countries and territories of the Region of the Americas and its partners, celebrated the 23rd annual Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) under the slogan “Your Decision Makes a Difference.” The 2025 campaign was aligned with and supported the Elimination ...

To mark 2025 World Malaria Day, Mali has introduced the R21 vaccine into its health system, targeting 600,000 children aged between 5 and 36 months based in 19 previous districts and 5 regions of the country. Mali is also experimenting with a hybrid mode of vaccine introduction. The first three doses are administered according to age, the fourth an...

Ahead of the International Health Economics Association (IHEA) World Congress in Bali, we are inviting contributions for oral presentations or suggestions for panel discussions at the Immunization Economics Pre-Congress taking place from July 19 – 20, 2025. All submissions are welcome: ongoing research, presentations on methods, as well a...

Venue: Kintele/Brazzaville (Congo) Dates: 22 – 25October 2024 Participants: 200 participants (online included) from 12 Countries of West Africa, supported by facilitators of WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, CDC Purpose: Main objectives of the meeting included the following Contribute to strengthening prevention, preparedness, and response to meningitis, y...

Epidemics of meningitis have long posed a serious health threat to countries across Africa, particularly within the so-called "African meningitis belt." The most devastating outbreak occurred in 1996, when an epidemic caused primarily by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A infected over 200,000 people and claimed more than 20,000 lives. However, in ...

Abuja, Nigeria – A groundbreaking study has found that needle-free, intradermal delivery of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) has the potential to significantly improve vaccination coverage and reduce costs in routine immunization programs. The findings offer a promising path forward for strengthening polio eradication efforts and expanding ...

January 2025 marks a major milestone in the fight against malaria, as African countries celebrate the first anniversary of the large-scale introduction of malaria vaccines into routine immunization programs. Cameroon led the way in January 2024 with the national rollout of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine, quickly followed by Burkina Faso in February...

Date and venue: 15-17 December 2024 - Cairo, EgyptParticipants: RVC chair and members, Officials form MOH of 9 countries, WHO (HQ, EMRO, CO) and CDC Overview: The purpose is to review and align WHO EMRO's Hepatitis B control verification guide with global elimination targets and review the progress report of Egypt on Hepatitis B Details: (200 ...

Dates and venue: 9-12 December 2024 - Muscat, Oman Participants: Managers and Directors of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) from Ministry of Health (MOH), National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAG) chairs or members, Immunization technical officers of WHO and UNICEF Purpose: Build capacity of EPI country teams to develop a ...

February 2025 - The Big Catch-Up (BCU) initiative, a targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, is making significant progress in addressing immunity gaps among children under five in six countries across the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syri...

Dates and venue: 28 – 30 August 2024 - Yangon, MyanmarParticipants: Members of the Health Cluster (48 participants from 16 agencies). Purpose: The general objective was to ensure preparednessfor VPD outbreaks in the country and the specific objectives were to 1) ensure that an effective outbreak response plan is in place. 2)...

Dates and Venue: 25-27 September 2024, Kathmandu, Nepal Participants: WHO South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) members, Representatives of National Certification Committees for Polio Eradication (NCCPEs), National Containment Task Force, Ministry of Health (Nepal), donor and partner agenci...

Dates and venue: 9-13 December 2024 - Bangkok, Thailand Participants: A total of 40 participants from 12 countries including MOH officials, WHO and UNICEF attended the meeting. The countries represented were Afghanistan (WHO, UNICEF), Bangladesh (WHO, UNICEF, MOH), Bhutan (MOH), DPR Korea (UNICEF only), India (WHO, UNICEF), Indonesia (MOH, WHO...

Dili, Timor-Leste – A joint national and international review of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance (VPDS), combined with a post-introduction evaluation (PIE), was conducted in Timor-Leste from October 14 to 25, 2024. The assessment aimed to evaluate the country’s immunization progress, identif...

Dates: 21-23/10/2024 Participants:Shri R V Karnan, IAS, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare; Managing Director, National Health Mission, Government of TelanganaG Sudheera, Joint Director, Child Health and Immunization, Government of TelanganaSyed F. Quadri, Programme Manager, JSI, DelhiMr David Damara, State Technical Manager, JSI, Hyder...