Objective This study aimed at evaluating the performance of the EPI so as to determine whether the program is set to achieve the vaccine specific targets of some SDGs by 2030. Methods We carried out a mixed method study associating a cross-sectional web-based qualitative analysis during March 2021 and a quantitative analysis of EPI performance from 2006 to 2019 in Cameroon. Findings: The observed weaknesses included the failure to meet the targeted vaccination coverage of all antigens, the proportion of health districts with coverage greater than 80% remained low, the existence of districts with less than 50% vaccination coverage, and insufficient quality of vaccination data. The Country lagged in geographical equity, program management, and financing. In addition, situations that emerged during the past decade, such as the covid-19, conflicts, political instability, and widespread misinformation, negatively impact the output of vaccination services. Conclusion Cameroon needs to amplify efforts to fill gaps and weaknesses so as not to be left behind to attain the targets for this current decade embedded in sustainable development goals.
Despite the huge benefits of vaccination, vaccine uptake around the globe is surprisingly suboptimal in most places; explanations include vaccine hesitancy and increasingly well-organized anti-vaccine groups. In addition, WHO identified structural gaps in many countries for the delivery of vaccination services, specifically a lack of scientifically sound NITAGs of the highest integrity, as well as a lack of political will and implementation. Here country vaccination systems were evaluated using simple 4x2 managerial criteria (having goals, one plan, implementation, and evaluation), to look into the structural ability of selected countries to deliver appropriate vaccination services, expressed as the Country Vaccination Score (CVS). Based on the availability of expert vaccinologists, each selected country was described (basic demographic, economic, political, health care data) followed by CVS-scoring. All data were centrally reviewed and validated. To date, a total of 42 countries received a CVS, with scores between 1 and 8. Some Low-and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) scored high, whereas some high income countries scored low. The strengths of the system include the crowdsourcing approach, and scoring based on written documentation followed by a strict central review process. The main weakness may be that "what is on paper may not be what happens in reality", i.e., overscoring may have happened. The ongoing project may help countries identifying structural gaps in delivering optimal vaccination services and take appropriate actions. Readers are invited to contribute with comments, additional data as well as by evaluating any of the more than 150 countries still missing.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.