The Global Vaccine Safety Initiative: enhancing vaccine pharmacovigilance capacity at country level

• Published in: Bulletin of the World Health Organization Vol. 92; no. 9; pp. 695 - 696
• Main Authors: MAURE, Christine G, DODOO, Alexander N, BONHOEFFER, Jan, ZUBER, Patrick L. F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Genève Organisation mondiale de la santé 01-09-2014; World Health Organization; The World Health Organization
• Subjects: Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; Biological and medical sciences; Collaboration; Communities; Diseases; Dosage and administration; General aspects; Global Health; Health; Health surveillance; High income; Humans; Hypothesis testing; Immunization; Immunization Programs; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Patient Safety; Pharmacovigilance; Prevention and actions; Product safety; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quality management; Regulation; Safety; Strategy; Strengthening; Studies; Surveillance; Vaccines; Vaccines - standards; Working groups; World Health Organization; United States; Prevention; Immunoprophylaxis; Countries; Tropical medicine; Vaccine; Pharmacovigilance; Public health; WHO
• ISSN: 0042-9686; 1564-0604
• DOI: 10.2471/BLT.14.138875

Large-scale immunization programmes now extend to all parts of the world, including least developed countries, where they reach unprecedented numbers of people. The number of vaccine doses administered worldwide continues to increase as new vaccines are developed and made available, and more people have access to immunization services. Development of immunization programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) has increased immunization coverage, which in turn has led to a reduction in vaccine-preventable diseases. However, as vaccine use has increased in LMICs, so has public attention to vaccine safety issues, as happened previously in high-income countries. The Decade of Vaccines aims to increase coordination within the vaccine community worldwide. The Global Vaccine Action Plan includes a vaccine safety strategy, the Global Vaccine Safety Blueprint. Capacity development at country level is the main guiding principle of the Global Vaccine Safety Initiative. The initiative is aligned with other related WHO capacity-building efforts, including the strengthening of immunization programmes and national regulatory authorities.