Immunization
SEARO / IVD
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Immunization

Immunization in the South-East Asia

Vaccines are widely recognized as one of the most cost-effective and successful public health interventions. Across the South-East Asia Region, immunization has prevented millions of deaths and disabilities, achieved dramatic declines in once highly-endemic diseases, stopped the transmission of wild poliovirus, eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus, and significantly reduced the transmission of measles, Japanese encephalitis, and hepatitis B viruses.

Strong immunization systems built over the past decade ensure that over 32 million infants are now fully immunized annually and more than 90% of the population in the Region is accessing the benefits of life-saving vaccines.

"These achievements are an immense source of pride and testimony to the work of political decision-makers, and the millions of health workers and volunteers supporting immunization programmes. Through our collective effort we have the power to fortify and expand routine immunization across the Region. We have the power to prevent, control and eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles.”

- Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region

Technical links

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Publications

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Fifth Regional Workshop to strengthen surveillance and outbreak preparedness and response for priority vaccine preventable diseases including measles, rubella, and polio

Fifth Regional workshop to strengthen surveillance and outbreak preparedness and response for priority vaccine preventable diseases including measles,...

Regional workshop on Invasive Bacterial Disease (IBD) surveillance, New Delhi, India, 20 December 2022

The Invasive bacterial disease includes surveillance for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), Neisseria meningitidis...

Regional Workshop on lot release of COVID-19 vaccines Kasauli, India, 10–14 October 2022

A five-day regional workshop on “Lot release of COVID-19 vaccines” was conducted in Kasauli, India from 10 to 14 October 2022 by the Communicable...

Ninth Meeting of Polio Laboratory Network of South-East Asia Region, 27–29 September 2023, Mumbai, India

To eradicate poliovirus worldwide, World Health Assembly passed a resolution in 1988 that led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative...

Regional workshop on strengthening vaccine safety surveillance and capacity-building for causality assessment: Bangkok, Thailand, 20–22 September 2022

The main objective of the meeting was to strengthen vaccine safety surveillance and causality assessment (CA) of serious adverse events following immunization...

Ninth South-East Asia Regional Meeting of Virologists of the Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network, Lucknow, India, 1–2 September 2022

The Global Measles and Rubella Laboratory Network (GMRLN) is the largest internationally coordinated laboratory network providing high-quality laboratory...

Fifteenth Meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication

The WHO South-East (SE) Asia Region was certified polio-free by the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication (SEA-RCCPE)...

Thirteenth Meeting of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group

The Thirteenth Meeting of the World Health Organization's South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG) was held on 17-19...

Celebrate Life! Vaccination is Protection
Health workers in the South-East Asia Region are on the front lines delivering immunization and other essential health services and currently fighting...

Videos

Regional and Country EPI Factsheet