Kate O’Brien, Director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO
With deepest appreciation to our Regional Advisers, partners and our scientific experts we concluded our 1st meeting of the SAGE in March of this year. Among the numerous recommendations, the SAGE issued recommendations focusing on the need for immunization intensification, including catch-up activities, and for enhancing preparedness for outbreak response, with Regions supporting high-risk countries. It was agreed that the highest priorities for the 2023-2025 period will be the zero-dose child agenda, routine immunization strengthening (with gap filling to reduce outbreak risk especially of measles and polio), response to outbreaks, revitalization of HPV vaccination, malaria vaccine introduction, and integration of COVID-19 vaccination into routine immunization and primary health care. SAGE also issued an updated Roadmap for prioritizing uses of COVID-19 vaccine to reflect the impact of Omicron and high population-level immunity, this hugely important resource will be valuable to countries as they determine national immunization recommendations. Please click here to view to the full SAGE report.
The 4th biannual Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum was held in-person for the first time since 2019, with over 450 participants from around the world gathered in Incheon, Republic of Korea to track progress and discuss obstacles related to priority vaccine research and development, to identify gaps, opportunities and actions for the research and development (R&D) community in the areas of vaccines and immunization and to review progress made towards the IA2030 SP7 research and development strategic objectives and goals. The Forum was also an opportunity to present WHO vaccine biomanufacturing training hub in the Republic of Korea to the rest of the world. One of the outcomes was the changing geographical shift towards LMICs in the quality of the science, R&D and manufacturing like for the Republic of Korea and many other counties, in the quality of the epidemiology being done in Africa and in the quality of the regulations in Latin America leading to more equity and justice
Member States Briefing on the Big Catch-up
In the run up to the World Health Assembly, (WHA), we held an information session for Member State representatives on 24 March. Representatives were appraised of the intensification efforts in 2023 ‘Immunization Agenda (IA2030): The global “Big Catch-up” effort’, and of World Immunization Week (WIW), 24 to 30 April, being a foundational pillar in a year-long push, the “Big Catch-Up”, to reverse severe backsliding in routine immunization.
This year’s “Big Catch-up” efforts are a unique opportunity to consolidate gains made in the last few years and focus on solutions to reduce the number of zero-dose children in every year that follows. It is important to renew global commitments to provide vaccinations to fight vaccine-preventable diseases and tackle the surge in cases of diseases such as measles and polio, including in areas where they had previously been eliminated.
The theme for 2023’s WIW is ‘The Big Catch-up’. We invite the global immunization community and our key partners to join us next week for WIW under the hashtag #VaccinesWork, as we aim to unite partners and people behind a focused global push to highlight the life-saving importance of vaccines. Throughout WIW we will highlight successes from countries in sustaining vaccination campaigns over the last three years, as well as on newly initiated efforts to scale up vaccinations. WIW is an opportunity to elevate specific asks for priority countries and highlight the barriers to vaccination including conflict and emergencies. We need action everywhere but especially in the 20 countries where over three-quarters of children who missed vaccinations live. WIW marks the start of the ‘the Big Catch-up’, a year-long push to catch, up, restore and strengthen immunization programmes to surpass pre-pandemic levels.
Please visit the World Immunization Week 2023 where you can find all the social media assets and more information on activities during the week.
World Health Assembly
Looking ahead to the WHA, which will take place from 21 to 30 May 2023. Of note for this audience will be the progress report for Members States on “the global road map on defeating meningitis by 2030”. We’re also delighted to announce that our Director General will be hosting a Strategic Round Table on “A safer and healthier tomorrow by restoring essential immunization today” on the 26 May in the Palais. We look forward to supporting our Member States and Partners will relate immunization technical side events on the remits of the WHA.
75th Anniversary of WHO
As we prepare for the upcoming high-level meetings on health in the General Assembly, let me take this opportunity to mark WHO’s 75th anniversary. Over the last 75 years, WHO has held the ambition of achieving the highest possible standard of human health for everyone, everywhere. Time and again, it has proved that investing in science lies at the heart of achieving a healthy and prosperous future. WHO has contributed to landmark achievements in public health, including the eradication of smallpox, the near eradication of polio, the expansion of childhood immunization and, more recently, the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, saving millions of lives. On this day and every day, lets commit to achieve Health for All.
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