Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination (MNTE) in The WHO African Region.

Tetanus is a vaccine-preventable disease of significant public health importance especially in developing countries. The WHO strategy for the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus recommends the promotion of clean delivery practices, systematic immunization of pregnant women and those in the reproductive age (15-49 years) and surveillance for neonatal tetanus. Implementation of the recommended strategy with the support of WHO, UNICEF and other partners has led to significant decline in number of cases and deaths due to NT over the last decades. The coverage with the second or more dose of tetanus toxoid-containing vaccines (TT2+) a proxy for Protection at Birth (PAB) for the WHO African region has risen from 62% in 2000 to 77% by 2015 Reported cases of NT declined from 5175 in 2000 to 1289 in 2015. The goal of eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus by 2015 was missed, but some progress has been made. By the end of 2016, 37 out of 47 (79%) of the WHO AFR member states achieved elimination. The 10 member states remaining need additional support by all partners to achieve and maintain the goal of MNTE. Innovative ways of implementing the recommendations need to be urgently considered.

Elimination of Epidemic Meningitis in the African Region: Progress and Challenges: 2010-2016.

BACKGROUND: Epidemics of meningococcal disease constitute a major public health challenge in Africa, affecting mostly the 24 countries of the meningitis belt. These epidemics led to a call for a call for a safe, effective and affordable conjugate vaccine against the major serogroup responsible for recent epidemics by leaders of the region. OBJECTIVE: This paper documents experiences with efforts at eliminating epidemic meningitis in the African Region. METHOD: The meningoccocal serogroup A conjugate vaccine was developed, licensed and offered to more than 235 million people through mass vaccination campaigns in 16 countries since 2010. Future plans include providing the vaccine to the remaining countries in the African Meningitis Belt and, to implement the vaccine into routine national infant immunization programme and to organise catch-up immunization campaigns every 5 years for unvaccinated <5 year-olds who had missed their routine vaccinations. RESULTS: The success of the project is evidenced by the large declines in cases of group A meningococcal disease since 2010, with no cases reported in vaccinated persons across the 16 countries, reflecting the highly effective nature of the vaccine. The successful control of serogroup A meningococcal disease has highlighted the need to tackle other meningococcal serogroups through development of polyvalent conjugate vaccines with the aim of eliminating epidemics of meningococcal meningitis in the African region.

Investing in life saving vaccines to guarantee life of future generations in Africa.

The World Health Organization's Regional Offices for Africa and for the Eastern Mediterranean in conjunction with the African Union and the Government of Ethiopia hosted a ministerial conference on immunization in Africa from 24 to 25 February 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the theme "towards universal immunization coverage as a cornerstone for health and development in Africa". The conference brought together African leaders - including health and finance ministers, and parliamentarians thus creating a powerful platform for governments to demonstrate their commitment to advancing universal access to immunization on the continent in line with the Global Vaccine Action Plan. The event also brought together advocates, technical experts, policymakers, partner agencies, donors and journalists to examine how best to drive forward immunization across Africa, ensuring every child has access to the vaccines they need. Key points highlighted throughout conference were: universal access to immunization is at the forefront of enabling Africa to reach its full potential - by improving health, driving economic growth and empowering future generations; it is one of the most cost-effective solutions in global health, with clear benefits for health and development; and immunization brings economic benefits too, reducing health care costs and increasing productivity. At the close of the conference, 46 African countries signed a historic ministerial declaration on "Universal Access to Immunization as a Cornerstone for Health and Development in Africa" signaling fierce determination among African leaders to secure the health and prosperity of their societies through immunization.

Vaccine Safety and Pharmacovigilance in the African Region

In recent years the WHO African Region has seen a growth in clinical development of new vaccines as well as their introduction into the national immunization programmes of many countries. Recognizing the critical need for vaccine safety and pharmacovigilance; WHO has been supporting individual and institutional capacity building in the Region to strengthen the monitoring and response to adverse events following immunization through implementation of the Global Vaccine Safety Blueprint. This framework is discussed along with general points about the importance of ensuring vaccine safety and the system needed to enable this. The article ends with a brief overview of the status of vaccine safety and pharmacovigilance and the key priorities for countries in the Region for the immediate future

Enhancing access to immunization services and exploiting the benefits of recent innovations in the African region.

The African Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO AFRO) organized the annual regional conference on immunization (ARCI) from 10 to 12 December 2012 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, under the theme, "Innovations, access and the right of all to vaccines". The meeting reviewed the status of immunization in the region and identified all innovations, strategies and technologies available and how these could be fully utilized to enhance the access and the rights of all to vaccines. Over 50 oral presentations were made in plenary and parallel sessions of the conference which was attended by over 200 participants drawn from national immunization programs, academia, public health experts and immunization partners. In addition there were 40 poster presentations. This manuscript summarizes of the meeting, highlighting the innovations in immunization being piloted or scaled-up, their impact and suggesting ways to further improve immunization service delivery for the eradication, elimination and control of vaccine-preventable diseases in the region.