The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in national health systems and their capacities to prepare and respond to health emergencies and highlighted the fact that the most vulnerable populations are disproportionately deprived of access to essential health services, including immunization.
Since the year 2000, the Gavi Vaccine Alliance has provided financial support for immunization to the world’s poorest countries, based on their Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. Fifty-seven countries are eligible for GAVI support. While GAVI is the largest source of immunization funding for countries, it remains that a total of 59 MICs has never been eligible for Gavi support, which is a significant source of inequity between countries. In addition, injustices within-country also exists, and eliminating them for immunization services, would ensure that immunization services meet the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.
In the Africa Region, two countries (South Africa and Angola) are among the top ten countries with the highest number of children incompletely vaccinated with DTP-Containing Vaccine. The purpose of the consultancy is to support the generation of evidence around socioeconomic inequities in immunization in five upper-middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (i.e., South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Cape Verde). Data will be collected from nationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys and MICS, and strategic immunization plans.
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