Fourth GAVI Board Meeting, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, 19 November 2000

Collaboration with specific disease programmes

Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO, presented the current status of the Polio Eradication Initiative, outlining the status of polio eradication since ‘acceleration’, challenges to the 2001-2005 Strategic Plan, lessons that might be applicable to GAVI, and GAVI/polio synergies. Mr Michel Zaffran, WHO, presented the new draft strategy on reducing measles mortality (Word – 47k), prepared jointly by WHO, UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Board:

5.1 Reaffirmed its previously-stated objective that "it is of high priority for GAVI that the mortality from measles (presently 900,000 children’s deaths per year) is brought down by reaching every child with measles vaccine."

5.2 Requested the Working Group to consult with partners and develop a combined paper outlining the strategies for integrating GAVI objectives into the polio eradication and measles initiatives (including cost-benefit analyses of the different strategies). The paper, to be presented for discussion at the Board’s June 2001 meeting, should:

• propose a framework and timeline for the transition of human resources, surveillance capacity and physical infrastructure of the polio eradication initiative to support the broader GAVI agenda;
• consider the possibility of adopting joint milestones for GAVI, polio and measles;
• consider the use of polio performance indicators for countries receiving support from the Vaccine Fund;
• explore new opportunities for integration of vitamin A supplementation and other practical health interventions into routine immunization activities.

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