Immunization resources

Training and clinical materials

Materials for clinicians and other health care professionals. Our featured resources give you quick access to some of the most up-to-date and essential tools for clinical immunization practice and training.

Featured resources

Giving safe injections (2001)
PATH
This excellent, 112-page manual is a training curriculum for health care workers who provide injections. It includes information on the health impact of unsafe injections, selecting safe and effective vaccines, reconsituting vaccines safely, reading Vaccine Vial Monitors (VVMs), preventing needlestick injuries, and using a variety of auto-disable syringes.

Immunization essentials—a practical field guide (2004)
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
This 275-page manual is full of useful information and belongs on every immunization professional's bookshelf.

Immunization in practice (2004)
World Health Organization (WHO)
This online manual covers all aspects of immunization program management.

Immunizing children against Haemophilus influenzae type B (2003)
PATH
Part of the "Training Resource Series," this unique document can be adapted for specific national programs. In addition to key technical content—including sections on using monovalent, quadrivalent, or pentavalent Hib vaccine formulations—it features quizzes, role plays, and creative ideas for trainers. One of the appendices is a handout for parents.

Immunizing children against hepatitis B (2002)
PATH
Part of the"Training Resource Series," this unique training module was specially designed to be easy to adapt for specific national programs. In addition to key technical content—including sections on using monovalent, quadrivalent, or pentavalent hepatitis B vaccine formulations—it features quizzes, role plays, and creative ideas for trainers. One of the appendices is a handout for parents.

Immunizing children against Japanese encephalitis using SA 14-14-2 JE vaccine (2005)
PATH
This training module is designed for local adaptation and can be transformed into a guide for trainers as well as a comprehensive handbook for trainees.

The Pink Book—Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases (2005)
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The 8th edition of this standard reference has just been updated.

Training materials

Advocacy for immunization
GAVI Alliance
How to generate and maintain support for vaccination programs

The introduction of new vaccines into developing countries (2007)

Mahoney, Richard T, et al. Vaccine. 25(20):4003-4011.

This article outlines a global access strategy for introducing new vaccines into resource-poor settings.

Canadian immunization guide
Laboratory Centre for Disease Control of Health, Canada
This comprehensive manual deals with a wide range of scientific and clinical issues relating to child, adult, and traveller immunization.

Care and repair of refrigerators for vaccine storage
WHO
A set of 17 training modules for refrigerator technicians, produced by WHO between 1985 and 1988.

A course for health workers: Identifying and overcoming obstacles to increased immunization coverage (1996)
WHO

Getting started with vaccine vial monitors: Questions and answers on field operations (2002)
WHO
This excellent, comprehensive training manual addresses and answers important questions about using VVMs in the field.

Guidelines for implementing supportive supervision (2003)
PATH
A step-by-step guide with tools to support immunization.

Immunisation handbook (2006)
A comprehensive manual from the New Zealand Ministry of Health.

Immunization and child health materials development guide
PATH
A practical, "how-to" manual for conducting audience research and developing effective, user-appropriate print, audio, video, and computer-based health education materials.

Immunization Training Partnership website
WHO
This collaborative website provides a forum for sharing and exchanging information related to immunization training. The site posts upcoming training events, allows users to share documents for review, facilitates training materials dissemination, and acts as a forum for discussing training content and methodology.

Immunization training resources for health professionals
Health Protection Agency, UK
Educational materials for health care professionals according to standards developed for immunization service delivery in the UK.

Immunizing children against Japanese encephalitis using inactivated, mouse brain-derived vaccine (revised 2005)
PATH
Another in the "Training Resource Series," this module focuses on use of mouse-brain derived JE vaccine. The document can be adapted as a training guide with exercises and activities and as a comprehensive handbook for trainees.

Immunology problem sets and tutorials
The Biology Project, University of Arizona
An online resource for learning Immunology.

Infection prevention: An online course (1999)
EngenderHealth
Designed to help health care providers, supervisors of health care facilities, and medical/nursing students strengthen their ability to protect themselves, their clients, and members of the surrounding community from infections. Topics covered in the course include disease transmission, handwashing, gloving, aseptic technique, surgical scrub and surgical attire, use and disposal of needles and other sharps, instrument processing (including decontamination, cleaning, sterilization and high-level disinfection, and storage), housekeeping, and waste disposal.

Introduction to DPT-hepatitis B vaccine, information for health care workers (2001)
Mozambique Ministry of Health
This document contains two booklets that provide information about the DTP-hepatitis B vaccine. One booklet is for health workers; the other targets community leaders.

Mid-level management course for EPI managers
WHO
This set of training modules is aimed at mid-level EPI program managers at district and province levels and covers a spectrum of activities, from planning through program implementation and evaluation.

Practical, local solutions for safely managing contaminated syringes and other medical waste (2004)
Wittet S, et al. PATH
Until recently little guidance had been available on practical, affordable, and safe waste storage and collection systems or on construction of effective burners. PATH partnered with Nepali nongovernmental organization General Welfare Pratistan and seven communities in central Nepal on the Safe Injection Promotion Initiative, aimed at generating local solutions to waste management, among other injection safety issues. This 23-page report describes the variety of solutions generated by the communities—locally produced safety boxes, locally designed incinerators with integrated sharps pits, and new, subscription-based sharps collection systems—along with some of the challenges those communities face.

Preventing vaccine freezing in the cold chain (2003)
PATH
Vaccine freezing in the cold chain is increasingly recognized as a serious threat to immunization programs. This zipped set of materials includes background information on the freezing problem (two literature reviews and a PowerPoint presentation); posters and stickers ready for use in the vaccine store and the clinic; and a sample protocol for a vaccine freeze study along with the results of a study in Indonesia.

Proper handling and disposal of autodisable syringes and safety boxes (2002)
PATH
Part of the "Training Resource Series," this unique training module was specially designed to be easy to adapt for specific national programs. In addition to key technical content it includes quizzes, role plays, and creative ideas for trainers.

Safe vaccine handling, cold chain, and immunizations (1998)
WHO
This 85-page manual for the Newly Independent States of Eastern Europe covers all aspects of vaccine handling.

Standard operating procedures for investigation of adverse events following immunization (2007)
Government of India/WHO
This document may be helpful in planning vaccination campaigns. It provides guidelines for clinical workers on recognizing, reporting, and investigating adverse events following immunization and includes copies of standard forms and tables summarizing both common and rare reactions.

Standards for surveillance of selected vaccine-preventable diseases (2006)
WHO
This manual presents WHO-recommended standards.

Strengthening immunization programs: The communication component (2004)
Shimp L. BASICS II, US Agency for International Development (USAID)
This 46-page manual presents a comprehensive overview of the key elements of immunization communications. There also is an interesting annex focusing on an excellent project in Madagascar.

Surveillance of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) (1997)
WHO
This 48-page field guide for managers of immunization programs provides ideas for detecting, investigating, analyzing, and taking action on AEFI.

Training vaccinators in a time of change (2001)
GAVI Immunization Focus newsletter
This article, from the October 2001 issue of Immunization Focus, describes one nongovernmental organization’s experience of training with partners in countries. The article also includes examples of training initiatives developed by the Children’s Vaccine Program.

Using Uniject™ to increase the safety and effectiveness of hepatitis B immunization (2002)
Nelson C, et al. PATH
This seven page paper describes use of an innovative injection device to immunize Indonesian newborns as soon after birth as possible. Results were positive: more infants were protected against hepatitis B earlier in life, health workers and parents liked the device, and use of Uniject is cost-effective.

Vaccine introduction guidelines - Adding a vaccine to a national immunization programme: Decision and implementation (2005)
WHO
This tool from the WHO was developed to offer guidance in decision-making and introduction of new vaccines.

Clinical resources

The Australian immunisation handbook, 8th edition (2003)
Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
A comprehensive, 300-page manual from the Commonwealth of Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care.

Childhood immunization schedule (2007)
CDC

Clinical signs that predict severe illness in children under age 2 months: a multicentre study (2008)
The Young Infants Clinical Signs Study Group, Lancet;371:135-142. (Abstract only)
This study aimed to reduce deaths in infants due to neonatal illness, particularly in the first week of life. The study aimed to improving identification of young infants who require referral for severe illness by establishing guidelines that could help caregivers make speedy, accurate diagnoses of ailing infants.

Global Health eLearning Center (2008)
USAID and the INFO Project
This learning resource offers an array of online courses that learners from many disciplines and positions can use to expand their knowledge in key public health areas and access important up-to-date technical information, including information on diarrheal disease and immunization basics. The eLearning Center is available at no cost to learners and can be accessed 24 hours a day from any place in the world.

Hepatitis B vaccine introduction—Lessons learned in advocacy, communication, and training
Wittet S. PATH
This five-page paper summarizes lessons learned as a result of over ten years' experience introducing hepatitis B vaccine worldwide.

Online resources for health professionals
The Vaccine Page

Vaccine safety
WHO