23 March 2017, Kampala – The three day annual EPI Managers’ Meeting for East and Southern African (ESA) countries came to a close on 22th March, 2017 in Kampala, Uganda with EPI Managers approving recommendations to refine immunization country plans to improve coverage and equity in immunization and partners renewing commitments to supporting the immunization programme.

The meeting was officially opened by the Uganda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng who expressed her pleasure at Uganda’s hosting such an important meeting to address immunization challenges in the ESA sub region. She said Uganda’s immunization coverage had recorded steady improvement in the past two years due to government commitment and partner support.

“The Government of Uganda passed an immunization bill 2016 which is now an ACT. The law mandates compulsory immunization of children, women of reproductive age and other target groups and establishes a new national immunization fund,” Dr. Aceng said. She added that her government had demonstrated its commitment to national immunization efforts and increase domestic financing for the immunization programme in accordance with the Addis Declaration on Immunization signed by member states in 2016

The meeting which was held one month after the endorsement of the Addis Declaration on Immunization on January 31, 2017 by African heads of state at the 28th African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The EPI managers and partners pledged to implement the recently developed ADI roadmap to ensure that everyone in Africa receives the full benefits of immunization.

During the meeting all the ESA countries represented deliberated on pertinent issues ranging from routine immunization, new vaccine introduction, Accelerated Immunization Initiative, Polio Eradication and the Addis Declaration on Immunization (ADI). Additionally countries shared best practices in operational research for immunization, experiences with new vaccines and disease outbreak responses.

EPI managers voiced concern over the worldwide shortage of the inactivated poliovirus following the successful switch from trivalent to bivalent poliovaccine in 2016. WHO and partners responded by sharing with participants the consideration for decision making in the use of fractional dose IPV in routine immunization programmes.

Partners congratulated the EPI managers participating in the meeting for their tireless efforts to reach all children and protect them from vaccine-preventable diseases, despite the sporadic outbreaks experienced in the ESA sub region. They urged Governments to continue to keep immunization high on their lists of priorities as per the ADI roadmap.

The EPI managers and partners agreed on various recommendations to improve country interactions with partners in a changing environment, provision and implementation of guidelines for fractional dose of IPV, operational research implementation and  health systems strengthening mechanisms for immunization programme funding. Countries also agreed to consider introducing Measles second dose as well as the expansion of the TT/Td vaccine in the routine immunization programme. Partners agreed to work together to continue supporting the immunization programmes technically and financially at all levels

Nearly 190 participants drawn from EPI managers from ESA countries, WHO and UNICEF immunization focal persons and other partners attended the meeting jointly organized by WHO, UNICEF, John Snow International (Mother and Child Survival Programme) (JSI/MCSP).