Monday August 20, 2018
Despite having one of the lowest immunization rates in the world, Somalia has made great strides in increasing immunization coverage in recent years with support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other health system strengthening partners. To enhance coverage even more, in early August 2018, WHO Somalia brought together all the major organizations and institutions involved in immunization to lay the foundation for better coordinated immunization efforts in Somalia.
Representatives from the Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the only major financial donor to immunization in Somalia, as well as implementing partners UNICEF, the Somali Federal Ministry of Health, and a number of nongovernmental organizations reviewed the progress of their collaborative efforts to expand immunization and identified key challenges in strengthening immunization coverage within Somalia’s fragile health system.
Shortages of qualified health workers, the uneven availability of cold chain storage and transportation for vaccines outside of major population centers, and ongoing hyperinflation and insecurity affecting immunization operations were all identified by partners as major challenges to overcome in improving immunization throughout Somalia.
Over the next year, WHO and health partners in Somalia
will work to close staffing and capacity shortfalls in the Somali
health workforce, support the Ministry of Health to develop annual
immunization work plans, improve data management, and launch
immunization outreach services for rural and underserved populations.
Health partners also stressed the need to step up engagement with
communities in order to promote the broadest possible involvement by
parents and children in immunization campaigns.
Photo Courtesy: World Health Organization