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. 2019 Aug 14;37(35):4928-4936.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.07.042. Epub 2019 Jul 17.

The Global Vaccine Action Plan - insights into its utility, application, and ways to strengthen future plans

Michael A Daugherty  1 , Alan R Hinman  2 , Stephen L Cochi  3 , Julie R Garon  4 , Lance E Rodewald  5 , Glen Nowak  6 , Mark A McKinlay  2 , Eric E Mast  3 , Walter A Orenstein  7
Affiliations

The Global Vaccine Action Plan - insights into its utility, application, and ways to strengthen future plans

Michael A Daugherty et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Background: The pace of global progress must increase if the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) goals are to be achieved by 2020. We administered a two-phase survey to key immunization stakeholders to assess the utility and application of GVAP, including how it has impacted country immunization programs, and to find ways to strengthen the next 10-year plan.

Methods: For the Phase I survey, an online questionnaire was sent to global immunization stakeholders in summer 2017. The Phase II survey was sent to regional and national immunization stakeholders in summer 2018, including WHO Regional Advisors on Immunization, Expanded Programme on Immunization managers, and WHO and UNICEF country representatives from 20 countries. Countries were selected based on improvements (10) versus decreases (10) in DTP3 coverage from 2010 to 2016.

Results: Global immunization stakeholders (n = 38) cite global progress in improving vaccine delivery (88%) and engaging civil society organizations as advocates for vaccines (83%). Among regional and national immunization stakeholders (n = 58), 70% indicated reaching mobile and underserved populations with vaccination activities as a major challenge. The top ranked activities for helping country programs achieve progress toward GVAP goals include improved monitoring of vaccination coverage and upgrading disease surveillance systems. Most respondents (96%) indicated GVAP as useful for determining immunization priorities and 95% were supportive of a post-2020 GVAP strategy.

Conclusions: Immunization stakeholders see GVAP as a useful tool, and there is cause for excitement as the global immunization community looks toward the next decade of vaccines. The next 10-year plan should attempt to increase political will, align immunization activities with other health system agendas, and address important issues like reaching mobile/migrant populations and improving data reporting systems.

Keywords: Global vaccine action plan; Immunization; Immunization programs; Surveys and questionnaires; Vaccine-preventable diseases; Vaccines.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declared that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Ten countries selected for Phase II surveys were categorized as improving coverage countries (Afghanistan [AFG], Azerbaijan [AZE], Cost Rica [CRI], the Democratic Republic of Congo [COD], Ethiopia [ETH], India [IND], Lao People’s Democratic Republic [LAO], the Philippines [PHL], the United Republic of Tanzania [TZA], and Zambia [ZMB]) and ten as declining coverage countries (Angola [AGO], Brazil [BRA], Guatemala [GTM], Indonesia [IDN], Kazakhstan [KAZ], Panama [PAN], Pakistan [PAK], Nigeria [NGA], Romania [ROU], and Ukraine [UKR]). θLow-income country. ΔLower-middle-income country. ΣUpper-middle-income country. ΦHigh-income country.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Overall and stratified results from EPI managers and country representatives (n = 50, 2 skipped) when asked, “How has GVAP impacted your country’s immunization program?”.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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