PIVI partners with global experts to provide technical assistance in the countries where we work. PIVI’s Technical Collaborators are vital to our work and the success of our programs.
PIVI works at the headquarter, regional and country levels with Technical Collaborators to determine the feasibility of implementing flu vaccination programs and/or pandemic plans in countries where this work has not yet been done. In countries that do have pandemic preparedness plans and/or national seasonal flu programs in place, PIVI works with our Technical Collaborators to help countries evaluate and improve these plans and programs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the primary technical collaborator for PIVI activities. CDC epidemiologists work closely with the PIVI/Task Force for Global Health project team to engage partner countries and conduct vaccine program evaluations, acceptability surveys, and generate key evidence for local decision-makers. CDC also partners with countries to develop national influenza vaccination policies, often in close coordination with PIVI in order to best leverage the work being done in-country. CDC experts participate in PIVI’s strategic planning and are active members of the Leadership team.
NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups) are independent committees of science experts that help country ministries of health make effective policy decisions about which vaccines to implement when. PIVI supports the strengthening and development of NITAG activities as part of its technical assistance.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified the target risk groups on which PIVI- supported flu vaccination programs typically focus. These risk groups include: pregnant women; healthcare workers; children ages six months to 59 months; the elderly, and those with health conditions. WHO helps set global standards and guidance for activities such as disease burden estimation, economic burden and vaccine program cost estimation, and cost-effectiveness analyses. WHO’s work goes beyond planning and evidence-based work and also includes program implementation and creation of evaluation tools.
Regional WHO Offices support countries’ health priorities through trainings, evaluations, and vaccination communications resources. They help PIVI facilitate relationships with country partners, offering their perspectives on a country’s capacity to execute a national seasonal influenza vaccination program.
Country WHO Offices help carry out WHO-supported and country-supported public health activities. This work might include disease burden surveillance, vaccination campaigns, and questionnaires or surveys.
The Southeast European Center of Infectious Diseases (SECID) facilitates work in detection and prevention of influenza and other infectious diseases in the region. SECID has provided regional support for technical meetings held in Albania and Moldova.
The African Network for Influenza Surveillance and Epidemiology (ANISE) collaborates with PIVI, providing technical assistance to partner countries as they continue to develop their evidence base.
