Upcoming meetings 

 • 13-16 March 2023: Workshop on WHO Immunization Information Systems (WIIISE) for submission and management of vaccine-preventable diseases surveillance data - Istanbul, Türkiye 
• 14-16 March 2023: 14th International Rotavirus Symposium - Bali, Indonesia 
 • 15 March 2023: Meeting of European Technical Advisory Group of Experts Working Group (ETAGE) on Hepatitis B - Copenhagen, Denmark 
• 20 – 23 March 2023: WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) - Geneva, Switzerland 
• 28-30 March 2023: Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum (GVIRF) - Incheon, South Korea 
 • 23-29 April 2023: European Immunization Week 
 • 24-30 April 2023: World Immunization Week (Global) 
• 3-4 May 2023: EURO Sub-regional Immunization Programme Managers’ Meeting - Izmir, Türkiye 
• 21-30 May 2023: 76th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA 76) - Geneva, Switzerland 

A new era in the fight against measles and rubella  

From 2000 to 2021, the annual number of estimated measles deaths decreased 83%. While much progress has been made, the goal is to collaborate with countries and partners to achieve the Immunization Agenda 2030 target to save another 50 million lives through access to essential vaccines, with measles immunization contributing a large percentage. 

Ghana targets more children in malaria immunization expansion  

As of December 2022, a total of 1.4 million doses of the vaccine had been administered to eligible children in Ghana, with 459,446 children receiving at least one dose and 184,418 children completing all the 4 doses. The expansion will see the delivery of malaria vaccines to children in 51 additional districts in the seven regions. 

Donating a fleet of buses, WHO and EU help strengthen vaccination drives in Ukraine to protect the most vulnerable  

The WHO Country Office in Ukraine, with European Union (EU) support, has donated 59 buses to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to help strengthen far-flung vaccination efforts across the country during the war.

Immediate and targeted catch-up vaccination needed to avert measles resurgence 

After a period of very low detection of measles in the WHO European Region in 2021, cases have been increasing since early 2022. Persistent immunity gaps and missed doses of vaccines due to the COVID-19 pandemic have left many people, among them an increased number of children, susceptible to this potentially fatal disease. 

Life-course immunization: benchmarking main markets and model countries 

A new benchmark report on life-course immunization highlights the urgent need for changes in global, regional and national immunization policies and plans to reach WHO’s 2030 Immunization Agenda and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing objectives.   

First COVID-19 vaccine insights report  

The COVID-19 Vaccination Data Team just released the first COVID-19 Vaccination Insights Report (C19 VIR), covering population coverage incl. high/highest risk groups, supply received, and external delivery financing.  Featuring overview analyses across WHO Member States, COVAX AMC portfolio and the 34 Countries for Concerted Support. 

Special report on the 36th meeting of the European Regional Certification commission for polio eradication

The 36th meeting of the European Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication (RCC) reviewed annual updates submitted by Member States of the WHO European Region on the status of the national polio eradication programme in 2021.   

Communicating with caregivers about human papillomavirus vaccination 

A new training module designed to equip health workers with knowledge, skills, confidence and resources to help them in their role to recommend the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.  
The training package consists of a training module and a facilitator’s guide.

EYE on yellow fever – podcast & community’s story  

Eliminate Yellow Fever Epidemics (EYE) Strategy on Yellow Fever is a 16-part series that takes you inside the global efforts to ensure that yellow fever does not become the next big global health threat. 

UNICEF Cervical Cancer Toolkit 

UNICEF made available a complete supply solution for the use of countries to support cervical cancer elimination programmes. The Cervical Cancer Toolkit is an ideal reference point for programme leaders, supply managers, experts, policy makers and donors. 

Leveraging CSO contributions to advance polio transition and integration efforts in the African Region

The report highlights the critical role of civil society in advancing polio transition and integration efforts in Africa and outlines key recommendations to expand and enhance its contributions to this crucial work. 

Strengthening the implementation of home-based records for maternal, newborn and child health

The guide aims to provide activities and decision-making tools that strengthen the processes around planning, designing, implementing, and monitoring of home-based records to maximize the benefits for all users: women, parents, caregivers, health workers and programme managers.

Two new resource collection available on TechNet-21 

Two new resource collections are available on TechNet-21. Existing technical resources are organized in a user-friendly way allowing structured browsing and comparison of resources.  

• Summary Report of the 2023 Vaccination Demand Hub Meeting - Strategies to address demand-related barriers to vaccination in priority settings (7-9 February 2023 Nairobi, Kenya) 

• Training workshop on documentation of measles and rubella elimination verification in four high income countries (22-23 February 2023, Dubai, UAE)

• Evaluation of routine vaccination coverage in children under 7 years of age in Central Guatemala (November 2022, Guatemala City, Guatemala)