From package to protection: how do we close global coverage gaps to optimize the impact of vaccination?
Journal Title: Journal of Vaccines & Immunization - Year 2015, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
The success of every vaccination program is dependent upon reaching and sustaining the target coverage rates. Vaccination programs are currently facing coverage gaps where target coverages are never reached and may also see erosion of coverage owing to, for example, loss of public confidence in vaccinations. The conference “From package to protection: how do we close global coverage gaps to optimize the impact of vaccination” gathered a multidisciplinary group of experts to explore the best options to address these gaps by challenging assumptions with evidence and focusing on impact. Within the broad challenge of increasing vaccine acceptance, there are many different circumstances depending on the disease, population demographics, culture and differences in health care systems. A basic requirement for addressing the coverage gap is to determine the relative contribution of each factor and to understand the underlying psychology of decision-making. Studies that aim at identifying and measuring drivers and barriers of vaccination, approaches to better understand the relative contribution of all possible determinants of vaccination uptake and evidence-based approaches to effective communication on vaccine risk and benefits were reviewed and discussed. The panel concluded that vaccination behaviour is a continuum phenomenon ranging from active demand to complete refusal of all vaccines and can vary through time, place and vaccine. Communication and interventional strategies should therefore be tailored by vaccine and population. Standardized and validated tools to measure the barriers and drivers of vaccine acceptance should be developed/tested and put together in a repository or "Matrix" of interventions to investigate the impact of intervention.
Authors and Affiliations
Thomson A, Watson M, Picot V, Louis J, Saadatian-Elahi M
Developing a vaccine for human rhinoviruses
Rhinoviruses (RV’s) are common human pathogens of the respiratory tract being the most frequent cause of mild diseases of the upper respiratory tract (common cold) but more importantly they are a major initiator of acute...
Events following BCG vaccination during neonatal period and factors that might affect potency and side effects
Introduction: In Sri Lanka, BCG vaccine is given during neonatal period. There are many myths regarding BCG vaccine and sequelae of vaccination are not clearly documented in medical literature. Objectives: Objectives of...
Suboptimal vaccination rates in rural Ghana despite positive caregiver attitudes towards vaccination
Background: Vaccines save more than 3 million lives and prevent 750,000 disabilities each year. Optimum immunization coverage will help in the fight against infectious diseases. This study was carried out to characterize...
An evaluation of the indirect cohort method to estimate the effectiveness of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
We examined the validity of the indirect cohort method as a rapid assessment tool to estimate pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine effectiveness (VE). Using evidence from published clinical trials, we reviewed the primary...
Routine immunization services in Africa: back to basics
National immunization programmes were created as a sequel to smallpox eradication when countries undertook mass immunization campaigns and other control measures to fight the disease. As smallpox came near to eradication...