Website helps program managers navigate complexity

Running an immunization program in a developing country is not for the faint of heart. You have to figure out how to purchase the vaccine, often with limited and fluctuating resources; store and transport sensitive vaccines without the benefit of reliable refrigeration; and vaccinate children wherever they may live, however lacking the roads or health care infrastructure.

And even if you manage the careful planning, the training of numerous health workers, the multiple logistical challenges…your efforts can still fall flat if parents don’t understand the importance of immunization and bring their children to the local health clinic or vaccination site.

The complexity of this work is why PATH has developed Advanced Immunization Management (AIM) e-Learning, a website with information and tools for people who manage vaccine programs—generally ministry of health officials and nongovernmental organizations. Organized into modules on introducing new vaccines, financing immunization programs, and using spreadsheets, the site guides users through the decision-making and planning necessary to get lifesaving vaccines where they are needed most.

Modules can also be downloaded for offline use and are available through the mail on CDs from the AIM e-Learning website.

Developed with the help of world experts in immunization, AIM e-Learning is authoritative. It is also accessible by program managers around the world. Modules have been translated into Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese, French, and Russian and are offered in multiple formats. Online modules load quickly for use even where Internet connectivity is spotty. Modules can also be downloaded for offline use and are available through the mail on CDs; visit the AIM e-Learning website to download the modules or request a CD.

Vaccine program planners around the world are already using AIM e-Learning, according to a recent survey. In the coming year, use is expected to further expand as project staff update an existing module on Japanese encephalitis vaccine and add new modules on rotavirus vaccine, meningitis vaccines, and measles vaccine—all adapted from the new global immunization strategy developed by the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

AIM e-Learning is one of our many efforts to strengthen immunization systems and make sure children everywhere get a healthy start in life, no matter where they live.

More information

• Read more about our work in immunization.
• Visit the AIM e-Learning website.