Resources

Produced by project Optimize and the vaccine technologies team at PATH, this report: (1) summarizes the clinical evidence supporting the intradermal route for vaccine administration and the devices being developed for this purpose; (2) determines whether intradermal delivery broadly holds promise for vaccine applications for low- and middle-income countries in the future; and (3) begins to prioritize vaccine targets and device strategies that best fit the public health needs in these countries and likely merit further investigation. The document is available as one large file or as four smaller files for easier downloading.

This article, published in Human Vaccines (Human Vaccines 5:8, 1-7; August 2009), details a collaborative effort between PATH, Arecor, and the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy that has resulted in a new formulation for recombinant hepatitis B vaccine that demonstrates improved stability at elevated temperatures. The formulation exhibited 9-week stability at 55°C and was also shown to be stable at both 37°C and 45°C for at least six months. This new vaccine formulation has the potential to be stored at room temperature for part of its shelf life and will help ensure the potency of the vaccine in areas where the cold chain is insufficient.

Project Optimize, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and PATH, has been given a unique mandate to think far into the future: to put technological and scientific advances to work, helping define the ideal characteristics and specifications for health products; and to create a vaccine supply chain that is flexible and robust enough to handle an increasingly large and costly portfolio of vaccines. This brochure provides an overview of Optimize's areas of focus and activities.

In an effort to support community interventions and health service utilization, APHIA II Western produces the Community Health Volunteers Update to help reinforce HIV and AIDS, reproductive health, tuberculosis, diarrhea, maternal and child health, and malaria messages passed through community outreach activities and health facilities; stimulate public discussions; reinforce behavior change; and promote use of health services.

This document provides the overall framework and specific operational procedures for Ukraine’s health sector response to an influenza pandemic. Its prime objectives are to reduce the health impact of a pandemic and minimize disruption to health and other essential services while maintaining business continuity and reducing the disruption to society.