The Global Health Observatory
Explore a world of health data
The Global Health Observatory
Explore a world of health data
Global, regional, and country partners can use evaluation findings for operational planning, and for communication and advocacy to:
• Ensure needed support to countries to achieve VPD control, elimination, and eradication initiatives, and
• Highlight and reinforce coordination of strategies to link VPD control, elimination and eradication initiatives with health system strengthening initiatives
Specifically, partners can track how effectively countries implement routine and campaign-based immunization strategies to meet VPD goals, the surveillance systems, equity in vaccine coverage, and political will. Also, they can use for operational planning, and communication and advocacy to ensure needed support to countries to achieve VPD control, elimination, and eradication initiatives, and highlight and reinforce coordination of strategies to link VPD control, elimination and eradication initiatives with health system strengthening initiatives.
• Control: reduction of disease incidence to an acceptable level; continued measures needed
• Elimination: Interruption of disease transmission in a defined area like region/country (Measles and Rubella, MNT)
• Eradication: Permanent global reduction to zero of the incidences of infection (Wild polio virus)
• WHO Regional Verification Commission (RVC): Independent expert group that verifies elimination status for specific VPDs.
• Certification Commission: A body that verifies eradication achievements (e.g., Global Commission for Polio Eradication).
+ Year
+ VPD
+ Eradication/Elimination/Control
+ Achieved/Not Achieved/Re-established
i. Indicator and revision cycle: WHO Regional Offices conduct a review to confirm and revise the inclusion criteria for each VPD based on, the global or regional endorsement status, target time frame, and the target type and definition.
ii. Assessment and reporting cycle: Established regional verification and certification commissions, or verification committees, assess the achievement status of the disease specific VPD target for each country.
Percentage of WHO member states that have achieved control, elimination, or eradication targets for the selected VPD = (Number of countries that met the endorsed VPD target) / (Number of countries with an endorsed VPD target based on incidence or prevalence measures) x 100
Numerator: the number of countries that met the VPD target, and the Denominator: the number of countries with an endorsed VPD target based on incidence or prevalence measures (194 WHO member states)
Definitions of Achieved, Not Achieved, and Re established
Elimination- Achieved:
+ Measles/Rubella: No endemic virus transmission for ≥12 months with high-quality surveillance. Status granted by Regional Verification Commissions.
+ Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus (MNT): <1 case per 1,000 live births in all districts annually
Elimination or Eradication-Not Achieved:
+ The country still has ongoing endemic transmission (measles/rubella/MNT, Polio (WPV)), or the surveillance and programmatic evidence is insufficient to confirm that elimination criteria have been met
Elimination-Re-established:
+ Endemic transmission for >12 months after elimination was previously verified. Measles/Rubella: status is granted by Regional Verification Commissions.
Eradication Achieved:
+ Poliovirus (WPV): No detection of wild poliovirus for ≥3 years with high-quality AFP surveillance
+ Terms like “control”, “elimination”, and “eradication” vary by diseases and regions that can limit cross-disease and cross-regional comparability.
+ There can be a significant delay (months or years) between when a country achieves a target and when WHO formally recognizes it that affects real-time monitoring and decision-making
+ Not all countries are equally assessed every year. Like political instability, conflict, or lack of reporting may exclude some from the denominator.
+ All countries are counted equally, regardless of population size.