Assessment of in-country capacity to maintain communicable disease surveillance and response services after polio eradication-Somalia.

Assessment of in-country capacity to maintain communicable disease surveillance and response services after polio eradication-Somalia. Vaccine. 2019 Nov 18;: Authors: Hsu CH, Harvey B, Mohamed A, Elfakki E, Ehrhardt D, Farag NH Abstract One objective of the 2013-2018 Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Strategic Plan was the transition of GPEI polio essential functions to other public health programs [1]. For many developing countries, in addition to polio essential functions, GPEI funding has been supporting integrated communicable disease surveillance and routine immunization programs. As GPEI progresses toward polio eradication, GPEI funding for some polio-free countries is being scaled back. The Somalia Polio Eradication Program, led by international organizations in collaboration with local authorities, is a critical source of immunizations for >2.5 million children. In addition, the polio program has been supporting a range of communicable disease surveillance, basic health services (e.g. routine immunizations) as well as emergency response activities (e.g. outbreak response). To assess current capacities in Somalia, interviews were conducted with representatives of relief organizations and ministries of health (MoHs) from Somaliland, Puntland, and South-Central political zones to elicit their opinions on their agency's capacity to assume public health activities currently supported by GPEI funds. Seventy percent of i...
Source: Vaccine - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Vaccine Source Type: research