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Vaccines and immunization

European Immunization Monitor April 2011

Available in:

This issue of EIM highlights, among other things, the following:

Synchronized polio SIAs

Following the 2010 outbreak of wild poliovirus in the central Asian republics and the Russian Federation, WHO/Europe discussed the need for coordinated supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) with affected Member States. Since that discussion in January 2011, seven Member States (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) have undertaken two synchronized rounds of SIAs with trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV).

11th meeting of ETAGE

The European Technical Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (ETAGE) met on 17-18 March 2011 to review and discuss immunization activities and developments in the WHO European Region and provide advice to WHO/Europe on appropriate activities.

New online WHO laboratory reporting system

In March 2011, WHO/Europe launched its new online laboratory data management system (LDMS), an important reporting tool for the regional poliomyelitis (polio) laboratory network.

Ongoing measles outbreaks in the Region

By the end of April 2011, 47 countries had reported 11,100 confirmed measles cases from January-April and ten Member States had reported measles outbreaks to WHO/Europe. Epidemiological investigations with genotyping confirmed exportation of measles from several countries in the Region to other countries and to other regions of the world.