Introducing new vaccines into national routine immunization programmes

The decision of whether to add a new vaccine into a national immunization schedule is influenced by multiple factors, including affordability and relative cost-effectiveness, disease burden, availability and price of vaccines, and safety and suitability of available vaccine products for national programmes. Once the decision is made to add a new vaccine, several steps are needed to ensure its successful introduction and sustainable use.

WHO/Europe supports Member States through the entire process of decision-making, introduction and management of new and underutilized vaccines and post-introduction monitoring. It facilitates the sharing of knowledge and good practice through meetings and workshops held across the Region, and provides guidance and technical support to countries in collecting evidence and making informed decisions about whether, when and how to introduce new antigens. It helps educate medical professionals and academics about the new vaccine to ensure their support and acceptance, and with training of vaccinators. Post-introduction evaluations are also supported to assess the impact of new vaccines on disease burden and develop lessons learnt for future vaccine introductions.

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Publications

Questions and answers about human papillomavirus, second edition

This document provides evidence-based answers to frequently asked questions related to human papillomavirus (‎HPV)‎, HPV vaccines, and prevention...

European Immunization Agenda 2030

The European Immunization Agenda 2030 (‎EIA2030)‎ is a vision and strategy, designed and crafted by the Member States, for achieving the full...

European Immunization Agenda 2030: draft for the Seventy-first Regional Committee for Europe

This Draft document is prepared for the Seventy-first Regional Committee for Europe. The European Immunization Agenda 2030 (EIA2030), a vision and strategy...

Questions and answers about human papillomavirus (‎HPV)‎

Human papillomavirus (‎HPV)‎ is a virus that infects the skin or various mucous membranes. There are over 200 types of HPV. Some HPV types, known...

A field guide to qualitative research for new vaccine introduction: step-by-step instructions to help immunization programmes understand their target audiences before communicating about the introduction of a new vaccine (who.int)

Expanding a national routine immunization schedule to include a new vaccine is a positive step forward in reducing a country’s burden of disease....

New vaccine introduction: checklist for planning communication and advocacy: World Health Organization vaccine safety supporting document

Vaccine-safety-related events, and how we respond to them, can affect public trust in vaccines and health authorities. These events may or may not...

Documents

FieldGuide_VaccineIntro

Expanding a national routine immunization schedule to include a new vaccine is a positive step forward in reducing a country’s burden of disease....

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