Four World Health Organisation (WHO) Consultants from the WHO Inter-country Support Team for East and Southern Africa (IST-ESA), Headquarters and Kenya and Zimbabwe Country offices were in the country recently to assist with the conduct of the country’s Comprehensive Immunization program integrated with in-depth Surveillance review.

In adherence to WHO standards, all countries are expected to carry out such a review every 5 years as a way to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the EPI programme.

The WHO Consultants under the leadership of Dr Messeret Eshetu from IST-ESA spent ten days on the field, visiting all 15 health facilities, reviewing documents, interviewing policy makers, Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) nurses, Surveillance Focal Points and parents, as well as observing a number of vaccination sessions at the various health facilities. At the debriefing session with the Minister of Health Honourable Jean-Paul Adam, Dr Eshetu congratulated the country for achieving and sustaining targets way beyond those set out in the Global Vaccine Action Plan.

Dr. Eshetu commended the country for its robust health system where universal health coverage is achieved and for sustaining high immunization coverage of antigens for major Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs) targeted for eradication and elimination by the program. Dr Eshetu indicated however that the main review components which the team found to need further improvements are with regards to the use of standards for reporting and documenting surveillance indicators for targeted diseases for elimination particularly fever and rash surveillance as well as better management of the country’s Human

Resource capacity. As a way forward, WHO will continue to work with the Ministry of Health so that is continues to sustain its current health achievements. WHO will also assist with the updating, dissemination and capacity building of health workers on the surveillance guidelines for VPDs. A road map for implementation has been developed to facilitate this process.

For more information, please contact:

Doreen Hotive (Mrs), NPO/HIP Officer, Tel: (248) 4224795, Email: hotived [at] who.int