First Vaccinology Training for NITAGs welcomes five African countries

30 Jul 2022 | By NISH
Participants at a training workshop sitting around the table, listening, some listening via translator headsets
30 Jul 2022 | By NISH

The inaugural NISH Vaccinology Training for NITAGs took place from 25th to 29th July 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. 

NITAG members from Kenya, Angola, Niger, Sierra Leone and Madagascar attended the training. For remote participants, the course was also webcast online; daily online participation ranged from 16 to 40 persons and 35 on average. To facilitate maximum engagement and best-possible experience for participants from Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone countries, all presentations and discussions were supported by simultaneous interpretation.

Highlights included opportunities for the NITAGs participants to share country-specific experiences and network. A well-received feature of the course was the group training approach, i.e. having a significant portion of the NITAG members (including the secretariat) present at the same course, thus ensuring strengthened knowledge among a NITAG and not only individuals. Participants found the sessions engaging and relevant. They considered the training well-organised and relevant to NITAGs. Including facilitators and collaborators, a total of 12 African countries were represented.

The training was facilitated by a faculty comprising NISH staff and experts from the project partners, namely the World Health Organisation (WHO), the African Centre for Evidence (ACE), Cochrane and Open Cities Lab (OCL). A range of experts and representatives from the WHO, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the CDC and the Task Force for Global Health provided additional input. The training was funded by Wellcome.

The course's objectives are to increase participants' understanding of vaccination and provide updated data on existing and emerging vaccination patterns. The guiding premise is that understanding vaccinology is crucial for creating and implementing immunisation programmes.

The Vaccinology Training for NITAGs course aims to: 

  • provide participants with essential and up-to-date knowledge on human vaccines;
  • broaden the understanding of the challenges and opportunities in vaccinology at regional, continental and global levels;
  • explore how vaccinology and EIDM training can strengthen NIPs in Africa;
  • encourage dialogues about the successes, challenges and opportunities to improve national immunisation programs in Africa;
  • provide a forum for members of NITAGs to share country-specific immunisation policymaking experiences;
  • discuss the role of NITAGs along with their structure and function;
  • explore the roles and challenges of NITAGs in strengthening NIPs in Africa;
  • identify areas for collaboration and technical capacity development; and
  • foster communication and networking among African vaccinologists.