VRSA

Duration: 2023 - 2025

Partner country: Guinea

Partner institution: Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP), Guinea

Involved RKI units: ZIG 2, Unit 33

Latest updates:

• Kick-off workshop on vaccine readiness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Challenges addressed by the project

Despite progress during the last decades, many Global Vaccine Action Plans have not been met in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Among the challenges known are low vaccine acceptance, low resource availability, and limited funds for surveillance. The COVID-19 pandemic has put further strains on LMIC on achieving their targeted vaccination coverage.

Further, National Immunization Programs (NIP) in LMIC have been disproportionally stretched as the focus of many was shifted to COVID-19 vaccine introduction, which has undoubtedly had an impact on the delivery of other vaccines.

New vaccine introduction readiness, the extent to which a country is prepared and capable of introducing a new vaccine, has emerged as a major weakness in LMIC, specifically Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Objectives

Our goal is to accelerate vaccine readiness and uptake of new vaccines in future epidemics across Sub-Saharan African LMIC. To help SSA countries be better prepared for the next public health emergency, we will assess the readiness to introduce new vaccines in Guinea. To reach our goal, we will:

1. Identify the facilitators and barriers influencing the countries’ readiness to introduce new vaccines during public health emergencies. To identify these factors, we will:

   a. Explore challenges in maintaining routine immunization and introducing vaccines during public health emergencies using the recent experience of the COVID-19 pandemic.
   b. Relatedly, assess the current readiness for introducing new vaccines at the national, institutional and community levels for future public health emergencies.

2. Develop tailored recommendations and plans to further strengthen national immunization programs and increase their resilience and readiness to introduce new vaccines during public health emergencies using the evidence collaboratively with partner countries and international stakeholders.

Overview of activities

During the first year of VRSA, we will use desk review, key informant interviews, and secondary data analysis to learn whether and how NIPs were able to absorb the shock by continuing to deliver the same level of services. This analysis will point out some of the specifics that contribute to NIPs’ readiness for a new vaccine introduction during a public health crisis. By identifying the systemic strengths and weaknesses that have contributed to an increase or decline in routine immunization, and to the delivery of vaccines against COVID-19, we provide the evidence for re-planning and strengthening NIPs.

During the second and third year of VRSA, we will use a WHO-developed tool (VIRAT/VRAF 2.0) to assess vaccine readiness in-depth at the national level. In parallel, we will be assessing this readiness at the community level through health facility and household surveys, and focus group discussions.
We will outline the aspects of NIPs that require the most attention and equip national and international stakeholders with evidence to better advocate for assistance, technical or financial, from their governments and international partners.

Two consensus panel workshops will take place during this project, one at the end of the first year, and one at the end of the project. The goal is to use the collected evidence and work with policy makers in Guinea to develop policies and roadmaps for increasing vaccine readiness.

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