Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Jun 3;14(6):1539-1541.
doi: 10.1080/21645515.2018.1444321. Epub 2018 Mar 26.

The need for sustainability and alignment of future support for National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) in low and middle-income countries

Natasha Howard  1 , Sadie Bell  1 , Helen Walls  1 , Laurence Blanchard  1 , Logan Brenzel  2 , Mark Jit  3 , Sandra Mounier-Jack  1
Affiliations

The need for sustainability and alignment of future support for National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) in low and middle-income countries

Natasha Howard et al. Hum Vaccin Immunother. .

Abstract

National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) provide independent guidance to health ministries to support evidence-based and nationally relevant immunisation decisions. We examined NITAGs' value, sustainability, and need for support in low and middle-income countries, drawing from a mixed-methods study including 130 global and national-level key informant interviews. NITAGs were particularly valued for providing independent and nationally owned evidence-based decision-making (EBDM), but needed to be integrated within national processes to effectively balance independence and influence. Participants agreed that most NITAGs, being relatively new, would need developmental and strengthening support for at least a decade. While national governments could support NITAG functioning, external support is likely needed for requisite capacity building. This might come from Gavi mechanisms and WHO, but would require alignment among stakeholders to be effective.

Keywords: NITAGs; low and middle-income countries; vaccination; vaccine decision-making.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. WHO: Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2013. ISBN 978 92 4 150498 0.
    1. Adjagba A, Senouci K, Biellik R, Batmunkh N, Faye PC, Durupt A, Gessner BD, da Silva A. Supporting countries in establishing and strengthening NITAGs: lessons learned from 5 years of the SIVAC initiative. Vaccine. 2015;33(5):588–95. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.12.026. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Duclos P. National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs): Guidance for their establishment and strengthening. Vaccine. 2010;28(SUPPL. 1):A18–A25. - PubMed
    1. Senouci K, Blau J, Nyambat B, Coumba Faye P, Gautier L, Da Silva A, Favorov MO, Clemens JD, Stoeckel P, Gessner BD. The Supporting Independent Immunization and Vaccine Advisory Committees (SIVAC) initiative: A country-driven, multi-partner program to support evidence-based decision making. Vaccine. 2010;28(Suppl 1):A26–30. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.02.028. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Howard N. The role of National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) in strengthening national vaccine policy and decision-making: A comparative case study of Armenia, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda. in preparation. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources