2nd Global meeting on implementing new and under-utilized vaccines, 23-25 June 2008
Surveillance
Effective disease surveillance enables more informed decision-making on new vaccine introduction. A number of sentinel surveillance sites have been established during the last years by the disease-specific Accelerated Development and Introduction Projects (ADIPs) with funding from the GAVI Alliance. Regional rotavirus surveillance networks have been established in five of the six WHO regions, with over 40 countries participating. Networks for surveillance for pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease have been set up in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Additional ongoing studies in selected sites are also providing data on the epidemiology of pneumococcal and Hib disease.
Working group participants recognized the importance of further strengthening surveillance networks, integrating when possible surveillance for diseases for which new vaccines are becoming available with existing vaccine-preventable disease networks. The ADIPs will be funded up until December 2008 and the Hib Initiative until July 2009, from which time surveillance activities will be coordinated by WHO.
In order to optimize the use of limited resources, a "layered" surveillance structure is proposed consisting of "core" hospital sentinel sites for rotavirus and meningitis surveillance, additional "enhanced" sites for sepsis surveillance, population-based sites to generate incidence estimates, laboratory networks to confirm case detection and centres of excellence for specialized epidemiological studies to complement surveillance. This proposed structure for new vaccine surveillance in the post-ADIP period was presented and agreed upon by group participants. Furthermore, a draft transition plan for the surveillance projects in the various regions was presented, as well as potential funding sources for surveillance in the 2009-2015 period.
Finally, a template of a global inventory of new vaccines surveillance networks currently in existence was presented and its potential uses discussed.
Recommendations
- WHO to coordinate and finalize an inventory of global surveillance networks currently in existence to monitor activity and identify gaps and opportunities for further synergies.
- In conjunction with global partners, WHO to coordinate new vaccines surveillance data requirements globally at the various levels.