New Data Highlight Policy Lessons, Economic Impact Essential to Global Pandemic Readiness

The Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives' (PIVI) new data published in "Vaccine" provides foundation for best practices in influenza policy development and its role in pandemic readiness

ATLANTA, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI), an Atlanta-based global health initiative that is a key program of The Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), has released a series of new research papers in Vaccine showing that countries with strong seasonal influenza programs had the necessary infrastructure that enabled them to better weather the COVID-19 pandemic. The series of 13 papers with data from 16 countries and global partners published in this month's Vaccine supplement provide important insights towards strengthening influenza vaccination programs worldwide as global health experts navigate the post-pandemic climate and prepare for the next impending global health crisis. The World Health Organization reports there are approximately one billion cases of seasonal influenza annually, including three to five million cases of severe illness that cause up to 650,000 respiratory deaths each year.

"As the world responds to novel and ongoing global health crises including expanded mpox outbreaks, the avian influenza A (H5N1) outbreaks in the U.S. and recurrent Ebola outbreaks, the utility of influenza vaccination programs as a mechanism to foster the capabilities of national vaccine responses are increasingly apparent and vital," said Dr. Joseph Bresee, leads the Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives and several other teams within The Task Force for Global Health.

Key learnings published in Vaccine include:

• New data from two reviews of Kenya's pediatric influenza vaccination program comparing year-round versus campaign approaches that provide lessons for countries with year-round influenza circulation for establishing influenza vaccination programs.
• Data from the COVID-19 pandemic vaccine response that demonstrates the value of adult influenza programs, including health worker vaccination, in improving national pandemic vaccine responses. These new data add to experiences from the 2009 influenza pandemic, strengthening the argument for influenza vaccination programs as a pandemic readiness tool.
• Focusing attention on creating health worker vaccination programs as a method, not only for pandemic vaccine preparedness, but as a key avenue to increase vaccine recommendation and acceptance among high risk groups.
• Progress in vaccination and delivery systems is underscored by data from the last decade. Research found that low- and middle-income countries are better positioned to combat future endemics and pandemics due to the concerted collaborative effort amongst PIVI and its partners.

"The influenza program in Albania helped our COVID response, supporting service delivery, training of healthcare workers, as well as prioritization of risk groups. Having these pieces already in place with influenza allowed for a stronger and more efficient COVID vaccination program," said Dr. Silvia Bino, Director, Control of Infectious Diseases Department at the Institute of Public Health in Albania and a long-time PIVI partner.

PIVI was founded in 2013 to help protect communities from the annual impact of influenza while building the vaccine delivery systems critical for endemics and pandemics. These programs supported efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2020 and as a result, the CDC partnered with The Task Force for Global Health to create the COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Program (CoVIP). In addition, PIVI works with World Health Organization and its regional offices to help countries prepare for influenza and other respiratory pandemic threats by supporting efforts to control and prevent seasonal illness through ongoing, organized support of Ministries of Health throughout the world, with a primary focus on low- and middle-income country outreach.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The digital media kit for PIVI can be found here. Please courtesy the "Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives" with usage.

About the Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI)
The Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives (PIVI) is a key program of The Task Force for Global Health and sits within its Respiratory Virus Prevention and Preparedness unit. A public/private program, PIVI works in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ministries of Health, corporate partners, and others to create sustainable respiratory virus vaccination programs in low- and middle-income countries. PIVI has worked with 30 countries with the mission of reducing the global disease burden from influenza and other respiratory viruses while improving national and global responses to pandemics and other epidemic threats. For more information visit www.pivipartners.org.

About The Task Force for Global Health
The Task Force for Global Health, founded 40 years ago to advance health equity, works with partners in more than 150 countries to eliminate diseases, ensure access to vaccines and essential medicines, and strengthen health systems to protect populations. Expertise includes neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases; vaccine safety, distribution and access; and health systems strengthening, including supply chains for essential medicines, public health informatics for data to inform programs and policies, and training support for epidemiologists and laboratory systems to prevent and respond to outbreaks. COVID-19 activities have included helping 45 low- and middle-income countries roll out vaccines; informing vaccine safety guidelines; training epidemiologists in more than 100 countries on disease surveillance and response; distributing essential protection and treatment to hard-hit communities; advising on digital contact tracing; using existing health programs to ensure protection for vulnerable groups, such as those afflicted with other diseases; and leveraging existing supply chains for ongoing response. For more information, visit TaskForce.org and read this 2023 annual report.

SOURCE Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives