Immunization value, costing, financing, and efficiency

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Reducing statistical uncertainty in costing studies

Analyses estimating program costs collected on a subsample of facilities are subject to statistical uncertainty, often quantified via standard errors and/or 95% confidence intervals. This recent publication elaborates methods to reduce statistical uncertainty.

Engaging Local Stakeholders in Economic Evaluation

Local engagement and empowerment have been essential for the DOVE study to develop cost of illness estimates and apply them to policymaking and program planning in Uganda. Here are some ideas and tools you can use...

TVEE Releases Open Source Health Economics Courses

Three modules were published from TVEE's vaccine economics curriculum, available to the public for free, on the JHSPH OpenCourseWare (OCW). Anybody can now download lecture slides, syllabi and exercises from this curriculum. Read more here

The BactiVac Network Catalyst Funding

Catalyst funding is available to support scientists in bacterial vaccinology to explore new approaches and strategies to advance their vaccines in partnership with LMICs and across the academia/industry divide. Read more here.

Costing essential services package in Bangladesh

Recent study estimate cost drivers and unit costs of Immunization and other essential services package in Bangladesh. Supplemented with epidemiological and demographical data, this information could be used to help with policy and decision making. Read more here

Sustainability of Benin’s Immunization Financing [Fr]

Benin’s commitment to immunization continues to grow, though sustainability of financing remains a concern. Comparisons with neighboring countries reveal potential lessons for Benin, around efficiency and sustainability. [Eng], [Fr]

WHO Advanced Course on Health Financing

Fifth Advanced Course on Health Financing for Universal Coverage for LMIC, to be held from 18 to 22 June 2018 in Tunis, Tunisia. Apply by Thursday 1 March 2018 at midnight (Geneva, Switzerland time). Read more here

Vaccines' equity impact on deaths and impoverishment

A new analysis of health and household economic impact of 10 vaccine antigens across income quintiles for 41 low- and middle-income countries indicates predominant benefit in lowest quintiles, improving health equity. Read more here.

Transitioning financial responsibility from donors to countries

A new publication explains main challenges that countries and donors face in achieving smooth transitions, points to the key strategies and tools that should be used and outlines a recommended agenda for priority research in this area. Read more here.

Sustainability of Benin’s Immunization Financing

RFP: Effective Engagement with the Private sector

Help ministries of health and UNICEF partners engage effectively with the private providers/sectors to expand immunization coverage and reduce inequities. Proposal deadline Feb 19, (11am Amman time). Read more here.

TVEE Launches Workshops in India, Pakistan & Uganda

The workshops series in Jaipur, Karachi, and Kampala focuses on capacity building in applied vaccine economics and financing. Read more here

Insights from community survey results

This short report revealed community members' demographics, location and area of work, the projects they work on, the identified public resource, and current needs in methodological guide.

Dr. Logan Brenzel welcomes members of the community

In the October 2017 Newsletter Issue, Dr. Brenzel thanks and welcomes the members of the Immunization Economics Community of Practice. Read her welcome letter here.

The Full Course Argument For Investing In Vaccines

Dr Orin Levine: "Virtually every child in the world can access a Coca-Cola, yet globally, one in every seven children is still excluded from vaccines. In Africa, one in five go unvaccinated." Read more here

TVEE Launches Workshops in South Africa & Uganda

TVEE launched the first workshops of the series in Johannesburg, South Africa and Kampala, Uganda. The workshop series focuses on capacity building in applied vaccine economics, cost-effectiveness and finance. Read more here.

Delivery cost of HPV vaccination in LICs

Using a standardised micro-costing tool, a new study presents the cost drivers of HPV vaccine delivery in low income countries and identifies optimal strategies to reduce costs without adversely impacting coverage. Read more here.

2017 Community of Practice Survey

Your participation in this survey is crucial in helping us develop the evidence and resources to further the field of Immunization Economics. This survey should take around 20 minutes to complete. Thank you very much for your support. Take the survey here

Large six country study explored cost determinants

Using a unique pooled dataset of 316 health facilities in six countries, EPIC project analyses describe differences in unit cost estimates assocated with service volume, delivery methods, immunization coverage, staff training, seniority, and site location. Access datasets and paper here.

Economic value chain analysis for Influenza

National governments require economic data on burden of influenza disease, vaccine cost effectiveness , and projected implementation costs. The WHO has developed a value chain of economic analysis tools to cover this need. Read more here

A framework to facilitate vaccine budget impact

There are few published Budget Impact Analyses (BIAs) compared with cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs). This study proposes a framework to facilitate the uptake of budget impact of vaccines through CEA information in LMICs. Read more here.

Benefit Cost Analysis guidelines workshop, Nov 2-3

A two-day Methods and Case Studies workshop in Boston seek to develop reference case guidelines for benefit-cost analysis in global health and development. Discussants include Larry Summers, Sue Goldie, and Dean Jamison. Read more here

Podcast Explores Cost and Efficiency in Immunization

Health Policy & Planning podcast discusses the importance in understanding detailed cost structure, its relationship with efficiency, and implications for health policy and future planning in immunization programs. Listen to podcast here.

Understanding the Financial Toll of Childhood Illness

Research helps stakeholders in Bangladesh and other countries make more informed decisions about the true economic burden of childhood diseases and better evaluate investments in vaccines. Read more here

Kicking off research on immunization delivery costs

Research teams & policymakers from Indonesia, Tanzania & Vietnam met in Hanoi to discuss costing study designs & cross cutting methods issues for the ICAN project - working towards sustainable immunization financing. Read more here

GHCC Reference Case for Global Health Costing

The Reference Case provides a guide to ensuring that the process of cost estimation is transparent and clear, enhancing the interpretation and use of quality cost data for decision making. See more here.

Injecting a business perspective into routine immunization programs

Health Policy and Planning blogpost examines how detailed understanding of the cost structure of immunization programs can inform policy. Read more here.

Teaching Vaccine Economics Everywhere: feature video

Focused on capacity building in applied vaccine economics, cost-effectiveness and finance, TVEE targets audience who are current decision-makers in EPI programs, NiTAGs and partners in GAVI eligible countries. Watch video here

VoVRN grant concept note submission due Aug 4 2017

The Value of Vaccination Research Network (VoVRN) is pleased to announce the initiation of a grant-making cycle to fund research on the broader social and economic impacts of vaccination (BSEIV) due Aug 4 2017. See instructions here.

Consultation: Externalities of Gavi’s Market Shaping

Gavi committed to monitoring externalities of it activities in countries, and on manufacturers and partners. To do so, we are asking the public to help identify externalities of market shaping and how to monitor them. See more here

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Background

About ImmunizationEconomics.org

ImmunizationEconomics.org is a resource for organizations and individuals involved in the field of immunization economics. The site was originally created in 2015 as part of the EPIC project with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and has key collaborators from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, ThinkWell, and Results for Development.

ImmunizationEconomics.org has three central aims:

To create a global community of practice consisting of experts in the field of immunization economics and policymakers interested in evidence-based immunization policy.
To keep the community of practice up to date with the latest developments in research on immunization value, costing, financing, and efficiency via our web platform and newsletters.
To encourage collaboration on projects that generate rigorous new evidence in immunization economics, and on projects to identify best practices in associated research methodologies and policy implementation.

Visitors to ImmunizationEconomics.org can submit new information related to immunization economics. We will review submissions to assess their appropriateness for dissemination through the website and newsletter.

The community of practice is open to all who are interested in receiving the ImmunizationEconomics.org newsletter. Organizations interested in contributing to the website or newsletter should contact us here. Together, we can achieve our common goal of furthering the field of immunization economics research and informing policies for improved implementation of immunization programs.

Read Dr. Logan Brenzel's welcome letter to the comunity

CLICK on the icons below to Learn more about the projects that jointly create this web partnership

Community of practice

We are a community of practice comprised of researchers, Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) managers, public-health practitioners, and other stakeholders. We are interested in the collection and analysis of data and the dissemination and application of evidence regarding the value, costing, financing, and efficiency of immunization programs.

A broad community of practice facilitates the exchange of information and enables new approaches to collecting economic information and using it to improve vaccine delivery. To date, our community has more than 800 members from more than 140 organizations involved in immunization programs across the globe.

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[optional] as authorized representative, I hereby gives permission for Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Health Decision Science (“Harvard”) to publish and/or use my organization logo or registered mark to be featured at the immunizationcosting.org website Community of Practice.

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above: Selected Immunization Economics Community of Practice members' institution logo. Logo release form for participating CoP members can be found here