August 2016
Half-way Through the Decade of Vaccines
Are we going in the right direction?
Ema Causic & Hana Lucev
IFMSA Program Coordinators on Children Health and Rights & Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Diseases
childrenhealth@ifmsa.org, ncd@ifmsa.org Collective recognition of vaccines as the most powerful and cost-efficient public health measure has led to development of global and regional action plans and objectives for the Decade of Vaccines (2011 - 2020). Developing the plans has brought together multiple stakeholders involved in immunization, including governments, health professionals, academia, global agencies, development partners, civil society and media. As a result, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) was created and proposed as a framework for future actions in extending the full benefits of immunization. GVAP has set ambitious but achievable goals ahead of us, with a list of strategic objectives that will help us accomplish them, and act as a guidance for actions that will lead towards reaching the goals. 4 out of 5 goals in GVAP for the Decade of Vaccines are: achieve a world free of poliomyelitis; meet vaccination coverage targets in every region, country, and community; meet global and regional elimination targets; develop and introduce new and improved vaccines and technologies. If these immunization-specific goals are achieved, immunization will contribute to another goal of GVAP: to exceed the Millennium Development Goal 4, target for reducing child mortality (and the Sustainable Development Goal 3 that succeeds it). Achieving the goals of the decade of vaccines will only be possible if all stakeholders take action and regularly monitor and evaluate the process towards the six strategic objectives. First being ‘all countries commit to immunization as a priority’ with a presence of a legal framework or legislation that guarantees financing for immunization. It is necessary for the individuals and communities to understand the value of vaccines and demand immunization as both their right and responsibility. This objective stresses the importance of understanding both the benefits and risks of immunization, as well as the www.ifmsa.org
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demand and the level of public trust in immunization. The Objective that the benefits of immunization are equitably extended to all people, needs to cover gaps between low, middle and high income countries, including discrepancies between urban and rural areas. Furthermore, populations who carry heavier disease burden need to be reached (eg. transitory migrant populations, people affected with natural disasters and conflicts). Strong immunization systems are an integral part of a well-functioning health system - this objective implies the introduction of new vaccines in national immunization programs, regulation of information and supply chain systems, human resources and overall program management. The complexity of the system requires multidisciplinary approach and attention, in order to build a cohesive and well-functioning program. Another objective was that immunization programs need to have sustainable access to predictable funding, quality supply, and innovative technologies. Some of the strategies to enhance access to affordable vaccines worldwide include promoting price transparency, increasing competition through an expanded manufacturer base and creating new models of vaccine development. And finally, the last GVAP objective is that country, regional and global research, and development innovations need to be maximized for the benefits of immunization. In 2015, SAGE (Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization) made an Assessment Report to evaluate the progress of the GVAP and how does it stand in terms of reaching the goal for 2020. Good progress has been made in some countries, but there are still two major problems which are holding back the progress.