Julian Bilous

The Unfinished Measles Immunization Agenda

Despite achieving and sustaining global measles vaccination coverage of about 80% over the past decade, worldwide measles remains the fifth leading cause of mortality among children aged <5 years. In May 2002, the United Nations Special Session on Children endorsed the goal of reducing measles deaths by half by 2005. Countries and World Health Organization (WHO) regions that adopted aggressive measles control or elimination strategies have shown excellent results. In 2001, countries in the Americas reported an all time low of 537 confirmed measles cases. Substantial progress in measles control has also been achieved in the WHO Western Pacific Region, in seven southern African countries, and in selected countries in WHO European, Eastern Mediterranean, and Southeast Asian regions. The ongoing measles disease burden and availability of safe and effective measles mortality reduction strategies make a compelling case to complete the unfinished agenda of measles immunization.

Reaching Every District (RED) approach: a way to improve immunization performance

In their paper, Victora et al.1 show that “child survival interventions are inequitably distributed within low- and middle-income countries”. Areas of greatest need were not prioritized, and expansion of these health programmes in more difficult areas has tended to be delayed or postponed. In response, we wish to share some results and propose a way forward based upon experiences with immunization programmes. Immunization programmes around the world have recognized and strived to reduce inequity for many years. While Universal Child Immunization (UCI) of 80% coverage was achieved in 1990, this merely emphasized the need to balance the inequalities within and between countries. Accordingly, several approaches were adopted. The “high risk approach” was designed in the mid-1990s to reach women in underserved areas with tetanus toxoid immunization using a campaign-style approach.2 District level microplanning has been the cornerstone of the polio eradication and measles elimination initiatives, to maximize the delivery of vaccines to all districts, especially underserved populations. District-level coverage and disease surveillance data are now routinely collected in most countries, with reporting of selected indicators to the global level since 2000. In 2002, the Reaching Every District (RED) approach was developed and introduced by WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners in the GAVI Alliance to improve immunization systems in areas with low coverage. Far from being a programme, or separate initiative, the approach outlines five operational components that are specifically aimed at improving coverage in every district: re-establishment of regular outreach services; supportive supervision: on-site training; community links with service delivery; monitoring and use of data for action; better planning and management of human and financial resources.3 The RED approach encourages countries to use coverage data to make an analysis of the distribution of unimmunized infants, and thereby prioritize districts with poor access and utilization of immunization, while districts are encouraged to make microplans to identify local problems and adopt corrective solutions. Since 2003, 53 developing countries have started implementing RED to various degrees, mostly in Africa and south and south-east Asia.4 All 53 countries belong to the groups of lower income and lower-middle income countries, as per World Bank classification. In 2005, an evaluation of 5 countries in Africa that had implemented RED found that, in 4 of the 5 countries, immunization coverage had increased since the implementation of RED, and that the proportion of districts with DTP3 (three-dose diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine) coverage above 80% had more than doubled.5 The number of unimmunized children in these 5 countries was reduced from 3 million in 2002 to 1.9 million in 2004. Interestingly, the report notes that outreach services, one of the five components of RED, were often used to deliver other interventions beyond immunization, such as Vitamin A, antihelminthic drugs or insecticide-treated bed nets. This indicates that implementation of RED components may start to have an impact beyond immunization services alone. An analysis of coverage data supports the findings of the evaluation in Africa. It shows that in the 53 countries that started to implement RED between 2003 and 2005, DTP3 coverage (as estimated by WHO and UNICEF) increased between 2002 and 2005 in 34 (64%) countries, and decreased in only 7 (13%).6 Although these data need to be interpreted with caution, since RED implementation has not been nationwide in many countries, they seem to indicate that where RED is implemented, it can help to reduce gaps in immunization coverage. We agree with the suggestion of Victora et al. regarding the need for information systems and training. Most of the 53 countries we refer to have functional immunization information, logistics and supply systems and have implemented district training, often using funds from the GAVI Alliance. Furthermore WHO, UNICEF and other partners at country and regional level have been closely involved in guiding countries adopting the RED approach to reach the unreached. We believe that the RED approach of district microplanning based upon local data using simple operational components and supported by supply and logistics has the potential for the successful delivery of other child health interventions, especially during outreach. ■

A new global immunisation vision and strategy

The widespread establishment of immunisation programmes over the past 30 years has provided remarkable achievements. Smallpox was eradicated the worldwide incidence of poliomyelitis has dropped 99% since 1988 and more than 2 million children’s deaths from diphtheria tetanus pertussis and measles are prevented each year (figure). Hepatitis B vaccination could annually prevent an additional 600 000 future deaths (from liver cirrhosis and hepatoma).4 More than 75% of children younger than 1 year of age receive three doses of diphtheria tetanus and pertussis and at least one dose of measles vaccine. Despite such success serious challenges remain. In 2002 an estimated 1.4 million children—13% of the 10.5 million children who die each year (2000-03)—died of diseases preventable with widely available vaccines for pertussis measles tetanus Haemophilus influenzae type b poliomyelitis diphtheria and yellow fever. More efforts are needed to immunise the un-immunised and save lives. (excerpt)

Experience in Global Measles Control, 1990–2001

Worldwide during the 1980s remarkable progress was made in controlling measles through increasing routine measles vaccination to nearly 80%. In 2000, an estimated 777,000 measles deaths occurred, of which 452,000 were in the African Region of the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2001, WHO and the United Nations Childrens Fund published a 5-year strategic plan to reduce measles mortality by half by 2005. Strategies include providing a second opportunity for measles immunization to all children through nationwide supplementary immunization activities, increasing routine vaccination coverage, and improving surveillance with laboratory confirmation of suspected measles cases. In 2000, over 100 million children received a dose of measles vaccine through supplementary immunization activities, a number projected to increase during 2002-2005. Current systems for monitoring measles vaccination coverage and disease burden must be improved to accurately assess progress toward measles control goals.

Immunization safety priority project at the World Health Organization.

In 1999, the World Health Organizations (WHO) Department of Vaccines and Biologicals launched the Immunization Safety Priority Project with the aim of establishing a comprehensive system to ensure the safety of all immunizations given in national immunization programs. Countries are the primary focus of the project. WHO has a role, not only because of its technical and normative role, but also because of its privileged relationship with country authorities and other partners, and its global vision and mandate. The four major areas of focus in the project are to (1) promote and coordinate research and development of safer and simpler delivery systems; (2) ensure vaccine safety, from vaccine development all the way through clinical trials and vaccine distribution until use; (3) broaden access to safer and more efficient systems for vaccine delivery and management of sharps waste; and (4) establish efficient mechanisms to detect serious or potentially serious adverse events following immunization, and enable prompt and effective response. The project emphasizes the importance of advocating safety and building capacity at national levels.

Ensuring Injection Safety during Measles Immunization Campaigns: More than Auto‐Disable Syringes and Safety Boxes

Measles immunization campaigns are effective elements of a comprehensive strategy for preventing measles cases and deaths. However, if immunizations are not properly administered or if immunization waste products are not safely managed, there is the potential to transmit bloodborne pathogens (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B and hepatitis C). A safe injection can be defined as one that results in no harm to the recipient, the vaccinator, and the surrounding community. Proper equipment, such as the exclusive use of auto-disable syringes and safety boxes, is necessary, but these alone are not sufficient to ensure injection safety in immunization campaigns. Equally important are careful planning and managerial activities that include policy and strategy development, financing, budgeting, logistics, training, supervision, and monitoring. The key elements that must be in place to ensure injection safety in measles immunization campaigns are outlined.

Current issues in global immunizations.

Since Edward Jenners discovery of the smallpox vaccine 200 years ago vaccines have been one of the most lifesaving health interventions for humankind and conversely one of the most underused health interventions in developing countries. The implementation of childhood vaccines in the United States and other industrialized countries led to a rapid and large decrease in morbidity and mortality from common childhood diseases. The smallpox eradication program led by the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1967 to 1977 ended deaths from smallpox a disease that once killed millions of children and adults each year. Beginning in the early 1980s the development of routine immunization programs by WHO and UNICEF for children in developing countries led to a sustained program of administration of lifesaving vaccinations as part of primary healthcare systems. Since the launch of these routine immunization programs in most countries more than 20 million deaths have been prevented from vaccine-preventable diseases (Fig 1). Ongoing initiatives to eradicate polio reduce measles mortality rates eliminate measles from discrete regions of the world and introduce additional vaccines have been remarkably successful. However more than 1.4 million children died from vaccine-preventable diseases in 2002 610000 from measles alone suggesting that great challenges still exist to fully utilize the potential of lifesaving vaccines (WHO unpublished data). This article reviews the status of current immunization initiatives summarizes lessons learned and makes recommendations for a healthier world through the use of vaccines. (excerpt)

Excluding polio in areas of inadequate surveillance in the final stages of eradication in China.

In 1996, China adopted a virological classification of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases for its surveillance system. Only AFP cases with wild poliovirus in stool specimens are confirmed as polio. Cases with adequate stool specimens that are negative for wild poliovirus are not counted. This paper describes a methodology to rule out poliomyelitis in AFP cases with inadequate stool specimens. National surveillance data were analysed using dot maps to detect clusters of AFP cases with high-risk factors for poliomyelitis. The surveillance system and vaccine coverage were assessed during field investigations. Four clusters of AFP cases were identified, but no poliomyelitis cases. Programmatic failures in the identified high-risk areas included low vaccination rates, poor stool specimen collection and inadequate AFP surveillance. Programme strategies were implemented to correct the identified failures. Use of this methodology provides strong evidence consistent with the absence of wild poliovirus in China.