ALBANIA

Albania joined PIVI in 2016. Albania had an existing government-funded national influenza vaccine program for healthcare workers. With PIVI support, Albania expanded the program to vaccinate more healthcare workers and also vaccinate adults with underlying chronic illness, pregnant women, elderly people, and other targeted groups. In spring 2018, Albanian partners conducted a Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) survey among pregnant women and their health care providers, to understand predictors of and barriers to vaccination in this target group. Albania also participated in a pilot of the World Health Organization’s FLUTool vaccine program costing tool in April 2017. This tool helps countries estimate the costs of expanding a national influenza immunization program. Albania utilized the FLUTool program to determine the cost of vaccinating healthcare workers. In 2019, Albania developed communications materials targeting healthcare workers, and updated their influenza immunization registry.

In 2020, Albania adapted their influenza vaccination campaign in the context of COVID-19. Adaptations included: improving the coordination and monitoring of activities for influenza vaccine during COVID-19; establishing better infrastructure and data collection monitoring, reporting, and recording through the use of a web-based immunization information system; improving the safety of the influenza vaccination process; and strengthening influenza vaccination promotion through new informative materials that outlined the importance of receiving an influenza vaccine during the COVID-19 pandemic

PIVI works in partnership with the national Institute of Public Health (IPH) and the South East European Center of Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Control (SECID), a multi-country public health partner based in Tirana, Albania.

You can learn more about PIVI’s work in Albania by watching this video.