Immunization financing
It is difficult to understand why financing for immunization in low and lower middle income countries remains a challenge, when it is largely accepted that immunization is among one of the “best buys" for the health sector, and that its financing is primarily a national public responsibility.
Equally, the international community recognizes that immunization is a global public good in that it provides global health benefits. With the inception of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), the International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFim), the global effort to reduce infant mortality - a key objective of the forth Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS) - the global context for immunization is considered favourable.
Be this as it may, in recent years, the issues involved in vaccine and immunization financing have broadened due to a number of factors particularly linked to the acceleration of new and more expensive vaccines being available for introduction in low and lower middle income countries. For the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners, a key challenge for 2015 will be to reduce the financial barriers to facilitate the accelerated introduction of new life saving vaccines in countries, and to strengthen the capacity of national governments to engage in comprehensive planning for their programmes and to make well-informed choices about vaccines they can finance and afford within their health systems.
About this site
This site is intended to be an online resource on immunization financing and contains various sections related to immunization financing analyses; country profiles; databases; indicators; tools; options and resources.
The primary intention of this site is to share information and data about immunization financing in low and lower middle income countries. Those with an interest in immunization financing will benefit from :
- Available country profiles where, at a glance, country pages present a summary of the immunization financing situation for available countries, and provide key data and indicators of interest
- Online databases designed to provide reliable data and indicators on country level expenditure and financial flows for immunization
- Various analyses on immunization financing that have been produced based on the information contained in the immunization financing databases
- Guidelines and planning tools for immunization, and the benefits of comprehensive planning and financing for immunization including how to develop a multi-year plan with costing and financing
- Learning more about immunization financing options and having access to other relevant resources
Acknowledgements
The immunization financing site is being developed by WHO's Immunization, Vaccines and Biological department (IVB) with financial support from the GAVI Alliance.
Related links
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GAVI Alliance
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International Finance Facility for Immunization (IFFim)
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Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
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Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS)
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Immunization, Vaccines and Biological department (IVB)
Last updated: 24 November 2008
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