Immunization/Vaccines
- Implementation Approaches for Introducing and Overcoming Barriers to Hepatitis B Birth-Dose Vaccine in sub-Saharan Africa
We discuss determinants of hepatitis B birth-dose vaccine uptake in sub-Saharan Africa countries at the policy, facility, and community levels and propose solutions to known barriers of hepatitis B vaccine introduction in low- and middle-income countries.
- COVID-19 Partners Platform—Accelerating Response by Coordinating Plans, Needs, and Contributions During Public Health Emergencies: COVID-19 Vaccines Use Case
The World Health Organization COVID-19 Partners Platform represents the first step towards a new model of health crisis information sharing across stakeholders and could evolve into an engagement mechanism of choice for future cross-border public health emergencies.
- Applying Adult Learning Best Practices to Design Immunization Training for Health Care Workers in Ghana
Best practices of adult learning were used to develop a training of trainers program for the Ghana Health Service immunization workforce. The program supported translating learning to behavior change, used class time for practice-teaching and action plan development, linked formal instruction with specific activities, and offered follow-up mentorship.
- Evaluation of the Impact of Immunization Second Year of Life Training Interventions on Health Care Workers in Ghana
Applying performance-based training interventions that follow adult learning principles and include follow-up activities after training may help to solve specific performance problems and improve health care workers’ performance in immunization service delivery. These strategies facilitate learning, minimize the forgetting curve for health care workers, and should be considered as a standard practice for future training interventions.
- Income Inequalities in Hepatitis B Vaccination and Willingness to Pay Among Women of Reproductive Age in Hanoi, Vietnam
Many countries use a fee-for-service model for hepatitis B vaccination, which amplifies health disparities across socioeconomic statuses and contributes to inequalities in HBV vaccination rates. We examined the role of household income on women’s willingness to pay and the amount they are willing to pay for HBV vaccination to identify a more optimized payment scheme and equitable access across all income groups.
- Translating Implementation Experiences and Lessons Learned From Polio Eradication Into a Global Health Course: Insights From an International Consortium
Using international collaborations to develop educational materials presents several challenges but offers enormous benefits in gleaning a wealth of information, perspectives, and context. The global course that resulted from this collaboration mirrors the goals of implementation science more broadly—to bring the findings of research into routine practice to improve health services.
- Blended Learning Using Peer Mentoring and WhatsApp for Building Capacity of Health Workers for Strengthening Immunization Services in Kenya
Innovative learning strategies are needed to improve frontline health workers' skills for achieving immunization coverage goals—now even more important with COVID-19. Peer mentoring and WhatsApp networking are low-cost and useful blended learning methods for need-based and individualized capacity building of health workers for improving immunization services that don't disrupt the health care workers' regular work.
- The Untold Story of Community Mobilizers Re-engaging a Disengaged Community During the Endemic Era of India's Polio Eradication Program
Although India's polio eradication program began with a flourish in 1995, gradually, the community disengaged from the program as misinformation about the vaccine spread. Vaccination teams faced abuse and even physical aggression. What caused this break in communication? CORE Group Polio Project's mobilizers had to delve deep to uncover untold stories of why communities were disengaged from the government's polio eradication efforts.
- Health Care Worker Preferences and Perspectives on Doses per Container for 2 Lyophilized Vaccines in Senegal, Vietnam, and Zambia
When providing immunization services, health care workers balance the mandate of achieving high coverage with limiting vaccine wastage. Workers in 3 countries said that containers with fewer vaccine doses for measles and BCG would enable them to immunize all children who present, while reducing concerns about wasting vaccine.
- A Rapid Cost Modeling Tool for Evaluating and Improving Public Health Supply Chain Designs
The Rapid Supply Chain Modeling Tool enables health system leaders to quickly estimate and compare the cost impact of potential supply chain design improvements in situations where time and budget do not allow for more in-depth modeling approaches.