Leveraging the CORE Group Partners Project Polio Infrastructure to Integrate COVID-19 Vaccination and Routine Immunization in South Sudan

Abstract

The article provides an adaptable model for resource-constrained settings for effectively integrating health care programs by showcasing how routine immunization can integrate with emerging disease prevention.

Integrating COVID-19 Vaccination Into Primary Health Care as an Opportunity to Leverage Investments and Build a More Resilient Health System

“…Articles in this supplement provide real-world experiences of how integration has happened and detail potential challenges to prepare for. 6 , 8 , 9 , 11 Integration through a life course vaccination approach depends on the demand for adult vaccines, or at least, a reduction of vaccine hesitancy and management of vaccine-related disinformation in an integrated system as key elements of generating demand for life course vaccination. 7 …”

“…Articles in this supplement provide realworld experiences of how integration has happened and detail potential challenges to prepare for. 6,8,9,11 Integration through a life course vaccination approach depends on the demand for adult vaccines, or at least, a reduction of vaccine hesitancy and management of vaccine-related disinformation in an integrated system as key elements of generating demand for life course vaccination. 7 The enormous amount of resources invested in supporting the COVID-19 pandemic response provided opportunities for broader health system strengthening, both for standard care and as a means of preventing and preparing for future public health emergencies, such as the examples seen in the work of Akhlaghi et al, Hagos et al, and Tella-Lah et al 10,12,13 Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic during the emergency phase and, more recently, through the integration of vaccination activities into PHC, such as those shared in this supplement, should be used to inform policymakers, researchers, and program managers as they strive to consider ways to build resilient health systems while integrating health care services, such as COVID-19 vaccination, into the broader immunization and PHC system.…”

“…In their article on integrating COVID-19 vaccination into the existing polio vaccination infrastructure in South Sudan, Kisanga et al 8 present the advantages of this approach, which reached more than 700,000 individuals with COVID-19 vaccines while maintaining or increasing polio and other routine immunization coverage.…”