Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI) Orientation Meeting
Dr Fina Tams and Dr Vinod Bura, WHO Country Office, Indonesia, Lisa Menning, WHO Headquarters Prof Sri Rezeki Hadinegoro and Dr Julitasari Sundoro, ITAGI, and Dr Jayantha Liyanage, WHO SEARO
Location: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Date: 8-11 March 2020
Participants:
38 experts (ITAGI, EPI MOH, Surveillance MOH, Universities, WHO-EPI, NRA, National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD), Indonesian Epidemiology Association, Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), Provincial of Health, National Committee-AEFI, two from vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, CHAI, five organizing committee/OC) and facilitated by facilitators from WHO-HQ, and SEARO including three external experts. Two facilitators remotely assisted the
training via zoom application
Purpose:
- Strengthen operating procedures and systematic literature reviews for developing evidence-based recommendations;
- Review the latest global guidance on NITAG composition, scope, mandate, functioning and declaration of interests, to strengthen the secretariat and its procedures;
- Access information on activities of other NITAGs; data on disease burden, surveillance, immunization programme, vaccine quality and safety, immunization policy and strategies, introduction of new vaccines and sustaining routine immunization, promoting regional and national vaccine security, demand generation, monitoring programme goals, and guiding national authorities on new and emerging vaccine preventable diseases needs;
- Plan for the next activities of the ITAGI and the Total Systems Effectiveness (TSE) working group.
Details:
The Indonesian Technical Advisory Group for Immunization (ITAGI) membership is renewed every three years. In the last year, the ITAGI has conducted several activities together with national stakeholders that include building institutional relationships and formalizing the post-recommendation process with the Ministry of Health (MOH). With the renewal of membership in 2019, an orientation meeting was conducted to update the new members on the ITAGI roles in supporting the national EPI programme. Indonesia with an annual birth cohort of 4.8 million has a challenging task to reach all children with lifesaving vaccines. Introduction of any new vaccine or strategy is very complex and full of challenges.
The agenda included seven sessions with presentations and discussions and five group exercises. The main topics presented matched country priorities such as: the global, regional and national immunization landscape; NITAG composition and functioning; developing evidence-based NITAG recommendations; promoting vaccination demand; cost effectiveness studies; and monitoring of National Immunization Programme Goals by NITAGs. As a follow up, the internal procedure manual was also updated.
Follow up actions agreed to were to: adhere to the framework or the protocol for literature reviews; assess the quality of evidence, data synthesis and interpretation; implement a declaration of interest at every meeting; and finalize the ITAGI 2020 workplan based on the additional strategic activities agreed during the meeting
Repost from Global Immunization News (GIN), June 2020 edition. Accessible here
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