PIVI partners around the globe continue to build stronger flu vaccination systems to be better prepared for flu epidemics and pandemics. One such example is Lebanon, which through crisis and conflict, has worked to reinforce and strengthen their flu systems and increase ownership of their vaccination program.
For the 2024-2025 flu season, PIVI provided 10,000 doses to Lebanon to initiate their flu vaccination campaign. As the 2024-2025 season coincided with active conflict and population displacement in Lebanon, the Ministry of Health procured an additional 27,000 doses, marking its first public sector purchase of influenza vaccines. This not only expanded campaign reach, especially in shelters, but also demonstrated Lebanon’s growing fiscal ownership of seasonal immunization programming.
PIVI’s ongoing technical assistance since 2022 included Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices and Perceptions studies, burden-of-disease modeling, and strategic planning tools to enable Lebanon’s transition from reactive response to sustainable public immunization policy. PIVI’s support to help the Lebanon Ministry of Health translate strategy into impact during war and population displacement.
Flu threats continue to cause seasonal epidemics and spread during conflicts and population displacement, underscoring the importance of building systems that are resilient and can withstand external stressors. As such, PIVI continues to work with Ministries of Health and global health partners to support countries develop resilient and sustainable flu and other respiratory virus vaccination programs to protect populations against flu threats.
Thank you to Lebanon MoH for providing content for this article. The World Health Organization has also been an essential partner in supporting the above activities in Lebanon.