Innovation and Consolidation of Achievements

Ouagadougou, 8 December 2010 -- The dream of having every child protected against vaccine-preventable diseases can and should be a reality. At the end of three days of deliberations, the Second Annual Regional Conference on Immunization in Africa has invited countries to undertake actions focused on innovation and consolidation of achievements. Countries should strive to promote the “Reaching Every Child” initiative. They should intensify disease prevention and control activities by accelerating the introduction of new vaccines against pneumococcal infection, rotavirus and meningococcal meningitis A (MENAFRIVAC). They should also intensify poliomyelitis eradication.

Poliomyelitis eradication

The number of countries that reported poliomyelitis epidemics decreased from 15 in 2009 to 9 in 2010 thanks to supplementary immunizations activities. However, the weakness of health systems and the low coverage of routine immunization have considerably slowed down the process of polio eradication.

It is imperative that all countries and subregions exposed to outbreaks of epidemic adopt the effort coordination model developed in West Africa by countries of the subregion, WHO and UNICEF. In Central Africa, Angola is urged to review and intensify the implementation of the Polio Emergency Plan while the Democratic Republic of the Congo should develop and implement an Emergency Plan to tackle, among other things, the weakness of the wild poliovirus surveillance system. Countries should also develop a package comprising components focused on social and economic aspects and on communication in order to promote disease surveillance and create demand for enhanced provision of immunization services.

Reaching hardly accessible children

Countries succeeded in reducing the number of non-immunized children through innovative measures especially the introduction of new community-based approaches. This major achievement should be consolidated. Countries are requested to strengthen surveillance capacities for introduction of new vaccines, develop mechanisms for financing immunization activities, build a new category of health personnel (logistician) and organize consultations with the WHO Regional Office to ensure adequate preparation for the Vaccines Decade.

Accelerating disease control activities

Measles, neonatal tetanus, viral hepatitis and meningitis are diseases for which control activities should be scaled up considering the recurrent outbreaks of epidemics especially of measles, thereby undermining measles control. In the past three years only 14 countries have been able to maintain at least 80% immunization coverage. In addition, there are difficulties in monitoring supplementary immunization activities. The regional measles task force is requested to assess progress towards achieving the measles pre-elimination targets and mobilize resources for supplementary immunization activities.

Neonatal tetanus control calls for identification of factors contributing to poor conditions of hygiene during childbirth. Concerning meningitis, countries and partners should speed up the introduction of the vaccine MENAFRIVAC. In regard to viral hepatitis B, the dissemination of the strategy for its control is an absolute priority.

“Routine immunization remains the cornerstone of all initiatives to control these diseases” stressed the WHO Regional Director for Africa, in his closing statement at the Conference. He stated that operationalization of the “Reaching Every District” approach is a priority in strengthening routine immunization and revitalizing primary health care.

In a message read out on his behalf by the Assistant Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Dr Sambo considered that best practices in measles mortality reduction should be documented and disseminated.

The Regional Director mentioned other priorities especially communication with communities and involving them in disease control, effective mobilization of resources to speed up the introduction of the new vaccine against meningitis, as well as partnership.

Dr Sambo thanked development partners, ministers of health and civil society for their support to immunization. He invited the African Region to join the other regions in 2011 to commemorate the first-ever immunization week.

The Second Annual Regional Conference on Immunization in Africa brought together about 200 participants including experts, the Minister of Health of Burkina Faso, the Minister of Health of Equatorial Guinea who is also Chairman of the WHO Regional Committee, the WHO Director-General, the WHO Regional Director, the President of the Global Health Programme of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the interim Chairman of GAVI. Other participants included parliamentarians from Cameroon and DRC, traditional health practitioners from Nigeria, administrative officers of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, agencies of the United Nations system, partners and the Task Force on Immunization (TFI) which is a regional technical advisory body on immunization set up by the WHO Regional Director in 1989.

For further information please contact:

Rodrigue Barry, Communications Officer, WHO Intercountry Support Team for West Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso ― Tel: + 226 70214312

Flavienne Issembè, Information Officer, Communication and Media Unit, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo ― Tel: + 226 76066031

Collins Boakye-Agyeman, Communication and Advocacy Officer, Regional Director’s Office, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo ― Tel: + 242 053736713