LNCT UPDATES
NEW LNCT BRIEF: Mobilizing Resources for Immunization in Decentralized Health Systems
National immunization programs and immunization partners may need to consider new strategies to mobilize sufficient funding for immunization at subnational levels. This new LNCT brief outlines some of the key challenges found across LNCT countries with decentralized systems and offers several promising strategies for NIPs to support increased resource mobilization and effective service delivery.
In Case You Missed It: New Tools Added to COVID-19 Resource Center
LNCT’s COVID-19 Resource Center is regularly updated with new tools and resources to help guide national immunization program managers and decisionmakers on how to maintain and strengthen services. Two new tools added recently will help countries assess their readiness to deploy the COVID-19 vaccine and prepare budgets for vaccination beyond 2021 as the vaccine is deployed.
- COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction Readiness Assessment Tool
- COVID-19 Vaccine Introduction and Deployment Costing Tool
Make sure to stay up-to-date by visiting our COVID-19 Resource Center here.
Second Module of LNCT’s Online Course on Vaccine Hesitancy and Demand Generation Now Publicly Available
The second module of LNCT’s new online course on vaccine hesitancy and demand generation, “Using data to understand immunization behavior and build demand strategies” is now available to the public in English, French, Portuguese, and Russian. This module outlines the importance of using data to design demand interventions, introduces key qualitative and quantitative research methods for understanding demand issues, and helps participants identify data sources that may already be available to them. The course is free and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. It can be accessed by clicking here and creating an account.
Materials from LNCT’s Recent Webinar on Training Health Workers Virtually During COVID-19 Now Available Online
On Wednesday, January 27th, LNCT held a webinar on Training Health Workers Virtually During COVID-19 – Lessons from Angola and India. Participants heard about several recent virtual training experiences targeting health care workers, ranging from an in-depth technical training around health statistics and economics in Angola, to a cascaded new vaccine introduction training delivered through a combination of virtual and in-person platforms in India, to simple refresher immunization trainings using a mobile platform in India. As the world continues to grapple with COVID-19, it’s important to explore new modalities of training, including virtual formats. Find out about the challenges, considerations, lessons learned, and main outcomes of the virtual trainings by exploring the materials and recording from the webinar.
LNCT’s HSR Panel Session Presents Considerations for the Integration of Immunization into National Health Insurance
LNCT’s panel session at the 2020 Health Systems Research Symposium provided participants with a framework for thinking about public health programs in the context of NHI, using immunization as the example. The session enabled participants to understand design choices that different countries have made, and why, and how immunization functions are handled across the Ministry of Health and National Health Insurance Agency, the challenges that have emerged, and how they have been or might be handled. For those who were unable to attend, we hope you will take a look at materials from the session, including the recording, available online here. LNCT’s brief on this topic can be accessed here.
Recent Blog Highlights Takeaways from LNCT’s Virtual Workshop on Engaging the Private Sector to Support Immunization
Over the course of four days in October and November, LNCT held its first virtual workshop for six countries on the topic of engaging the private sector to support immunization. The workshop aimed to help countries better understand how to engage with a range of for-profit and not-for-profit private sector organizations, such as NGOs, CSOs, and providers, to strengthen immunization program functions, including service provision, demand generation, and the application of private sector approaches and technologies. In case you missed it, check out the key learnings that emerged from the workshop in our recent blog.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
NEW BLOG: How to Identify and Respond to the Disruption in Routine Immunization Services During the Global Pandemic: Lessons from Sierra Leone
How can health systems balance the response to COVID-19 while ensuring the continued delivery of immunization services even as the need for already scarce resources is rising? Learn about Sierra Leone’s response in this recent LNCT blog co-authored by colleagues from the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone.
A United Front: Building Vaccine Confidence During a Pandemic
To combat vaccine misinformation at home and around the globe, we must build trust. This recent blog from the UN Foundation provides tips on how to eliminate misconceptions around vaccines.
Boost Network Launches First Podcast Series
The Boost Community is excited to announce its first podcast series, Voices of Leadership. In the inaugural season of this podcast series, they sit down with alumni of Boost’s courses and workshops on Adaptive Leadership and discuss approaches and anecdotes related to tackling adaptive challenges within the immunization field. You can access the podcast episodes here.
FEATURED RESOURCES
WHO Courses on COVID-19 Vaccination Now Live
The World Health Organization has launched two online courses to help prepare for the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines. The self-paced online courses are free and can be accessed once you create an OpenWHO account.
- Orientation to National Deployment and Vaccination Planning for COVID-19 Vaccines
- COVID-19 Vaccination Training for Health Workers
Brief on Economic Implications of Switching Rotavirus Vaccine Products in Palestine’s Immunization Program
A recent cost-effectiveness analysis conducted by PATH shows that the switch to a lower-cost rotavirus vaccine paid off in Palestine. Learn more about their findings in this brief, available in Arabic, English, French, and Russian.
How to Cost Immunization Programs: A Practical Guide on Primary Data Collection and Analysis
This recent guide developed by Immunization Economics offers practical methodological guidance for country immunization program staff and their consultants and technical teams planning to carry out exercises that involve primary data collection focused on assessing the costs of routine immunization services, including the delivery costs of those services, through retrospective costing.
SMART Vaccines 2.0 Decision-Support Platform: A Tool to Facilitate and Promote Priority Setting for Sustainable Vaccination in Resource-limited Settings
In resource-constrained environments, priority setting is critical to making sustainable decisions for introducing new and underused vaccines and choosing among vaccine products. This recent report illustrates the pilot results of a web-based decision-support tool implemented by Uganda’s National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG).
Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to Prioritize the Introduction of New Vaccines in Indonesia by Using the Framework of the Strategic Multi-Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines (SMART Vaccines)
The Strategic Multi-Attribute Ranking Tool for Vaccines (SMART Vaccines) is a decision-support tool developed to assist countries in prioritizing new vaccines. Using the SMART framework, this study prioritized the introduction of new vaccines in Indonesia, focusing on Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), rotavirus, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccines.
Ensuring Sustainability of Polio Immunization in Health System Transition: Lessons from the Polio Eradication Initiative in Indonesia
This recent study aims to explore the sustainability of polio immunization in a decentralized health system, taking lessons learned from a polio eradication initiative in Indonesia.
LOOKING AHEAD
LNCT Organizing Workshop on Decentralization
LNCT Network Coordinators are organizing a virtual workshop on immunization in decentralized systems. The workshop, which will take place this April, will bring together 11 LNCT countries to discuss decentralization models, bottlenecks, and opportunities, as well as strategies for effective advocacy. Please keep a look out for invitations in the coming weeks!
Launch of LNCT Video Case Study on How to Reach and Build Demand for Immunization Among Underserved and Vulnerable Groups Coming in February
There are few examples of case studies that use storytelling to show successful immunisation demand generation interventions. A video being produced by LNCT and Common Thread will help fill this gap. The video case study, based in Yên Bái Province, Viet Nam, will show the journey to vaccination for two families in a rural community. It will serve as both a learning material for countries looking to implement successful demand generation activities and an example of effective storytelling for immunization. Keep an eye out for the public launch later this month!
Third Module of LNCT’s Online Course on Vaccine Hesitancy and Demand Generation Available for LNCT Countries in March
The third online module of the LNCT course, Building knowledge and awareness about immunization amongst caregivers and families, will be launched to a group of LNCT countries in March. This module will explain why building knowledge and awareness is critical, but not sufficient on its own, to build demand for immunization. The limitations of increasing knowledge and awareness alone, even when it’s done effectively, will be emphasized. The module will aim to provide learners with tools to build knowledge and awareness in an evidence-based and innovative way, even understanding how to do this with tactics that go beyond posters, banners, and printed materials. This module will also include actions and tools to respond to rumors, misinformation, and disinformation. In March, LNCT partner, Common Thread, will guide LNCT country stakeholders through a 4-week process, including independent learning and a facilitated ‘learning lab’ session where countries can share their practical exercises and learn from one another. The module will be available to the public at a later date; in the meantime, we encourage you to check out the first two modules of the course which are available for free and can be accessed by clicking here and creating an account.