23rd Meeting of the Technical Advisory Group (‎TAG)‎ on Immunization and Vaccine-preventable Diseases in the Western Pacific Region

Overview

The Twenty-third Meeting of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Immunization and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the Western Pacific Region was held from 16 to 20 June 2014 in Manila, Philippines. The meeting was attended by seven TAG members, three temporary advisors, 23 participants from 15 countries and areas, 36 representatives from partner organizations and WHO staff from headquarters, the Regional and country offices. 

The TAG reinforced regional goals to remain polio-free, to eliminate measles and maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), and to achieve accelerated control of hepatitis B. The TAG noted progress in the elimination of measles and the remaining challenges of endemic transmission and endemic or imported outbreaks in several countries. For hepatitis B, the TAG recognizes that additional efforts are needed to achieve the 1% goal in all countries and areas, and to sustain the progress made. All but three countries in the Region have been validated to have eliminated MNT.

The objectives of the meeting were:

1) to review progress, discuss critical issues and propose key actions to achieve regional immunization goals, confirm new goals to be proposed to the sixty-fifth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific in October 2014, and propose key actions to initiate progress towards these goals;

2) to review progress in implementation of priority actions towards achievement of the strategic objectives of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) in the Western Pacific Region, identify critical issues in implementation and propose key actions to address these issues; and

3) to provide partners with updates on progress, challenges, priority activities, funding requirements and gaps in implementing GVAP in the Western Pacific Region and achieving regional immunization goals.