An evaluation of infant immunization in Africa: is a transformation in progress?
L Arevshatian, CJ Clements, SK Lwanga, AO Misore, P Ndumbe, JF Seward, P Taylor
Volume 85, Number 6, June 2007, 449-457
Table 8. Key issues and future priorities in the African Region
| Strategic goals | Key issues |
|---|---|
| Funding | Secure long-term funding sources. Increase government commitment to budget for immunization programmes and to fund them. |
| Routine coverage | Raise coverage to uniformly high levels, particularly in the Big Four countries. |
| Surveillance | Integrate and expand surveillance for other vaccine-preventable diseases in conjunction with existing surveillance programmes for acute flaccid paralysis. Work towards incorporating all surveillance programmes into one system. |
| Polio eradication | Meet targets to eliminate polio, focusing particularly on Nigeria. Transfer the skills and resources developed through the polio programme to other control programmes. |
| Measles control | Ensure that measles control is at the centre of immunization programmes in the next 10 years. |
| Vitamin A supplementation | Fully integrate vitamin A distribution with immunization services and focus on reaching wider age groups through new strategies: for example, pre-school programmes. |
| Immunization strategies | Test strategies that could raise routine coverage and expand these campaigns to improve coverage. |
| Waste disposal | Find better solutions for the disposal of injection equipment. These solutions must be environmentally acceptable, practical and low-cost. |
| Staff | Incorporate polio staff into the regular work force before their funding dries up. |
| New vaccines | Take advantage of new funds to support the introduction of new vaccines and new technologies. |