Resources

This report presents the results and findings of three demonstration projects undertaken in Tunisia as part of a partnership between project Optimize and the Tunisian Ministry of Health. Between 2009 and 2012, the partnership aimed to demonstrate innovations in the supply chain that can help the national immunization program meet the demands of an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines.

This fact sheet provides an overview of rotavirus disease and vaccines in Haiti. It includes information about the tremendous burden of rotavirus diarrhea in Haitian children, rotavirus diarrhea treatment and prevention strategies, and the effectiveness of rotavirus vaccines. It also lists countries that have introduced rotavirus vaccines into their national immunization programs.

As part of the project Optimize traveling exhibit, this banner illustrates the concept of integrating vaccines with other health products in streamlined supply chains. It highlights Senegal’s “moving warehouse,” which was introduced to offer a better system of distribution down the chain. Rather than having health facilities collect vaccines and supplies, the moving warehouse delivery teams visit each facility, check inventory, and replenish stock as needed. Each team includes a supervisor and cold chain technician who provide supportive supervision to health care workers and ensure that equipment is operating correctly.

PATH commissioned this report in an effort to evaluate whether dose-sparing, possibly through the intradermal (ID) route, could improve the availability of yellow fever vaccine globally. The authors identify and discuss potential benefits, possible obstacles, and associated costs of dose-sparing as a vaccine delivery strategy. In addition, the report includes an assessment of which settings would be most appropriate and to what extent novel ID delivery devices, such as needle-free disposable-syringe jet injectors, would help to facilitate its successful implementation.

The journal Vaccine published a special supplement on the Decade of Vaccines Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) that features articles by PATH contributors and others on the GVAP strategic objectives and the opportunities and challenges associated with its implementation. The 27 articles cover a range of related topics, including vaccine development, financing, access, delivery, and health impact. More than 100 authors contributed to the supplement representing a variety of international and developing-country stakeholders, from civil society and academia to vaccine manufacturers and policymakers.