NiSH - the NITAG Support Hub

The National Immunisation Technical and Advisory Group Support Hub (NiSH) is a 5-year (July 2021 to June 2026) Wellcome1 funded project to provide Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (EIDM) support for vaccines and immunisation to NITAGs in the WHO Africa region. A key stakeholder for the NiSH project is the World Health Organisation2. Other key stakeholders are the NITAGs from the 47 countries in the WHO Africa region. Several collaborators are working with VACFA on the NiSH project. The collaborators include UCT’s School of Public Health & Family Medicine3, Cochrane South Africa4, University of Johannesburg’s  Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE)5, Africa Data Hub  (ADH)6 of the Open Cities Lab. The NiSH project is based at VACFA, Faculty of Health Sciences7, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa. 

The NiSH vision is to contribute to an Africa free of vaccine-preventable diseases.  The mission of NiSH is to strengthen NITAGs in Sub-Saharan Africa to make evidence informed decisions with respect to vaccines and immunisation practices.

The NiSH project objectives are to:

  • Strengthen access to contextually relevant evidence-based research to support policy decisions.
  • Improve the capacity of NITAGs in EIDM, vaccinology, health economics, health systems and mathematical modelling to inform improved recommendations.
  • Build a sustainable regional scientific hub for African NITAGs and other users in Africa to high quality evidence to inform vaccination policies, programmes and practices.
Visit the NISH website

NiSH Services provided to NITAGs

Type of service

Description of the service

Availability

Accessing the NiSH services

EIDM and Vaccinology face to face training

EIDM and Vaccinology face-to-face training Intersection between vaccinology and EIDM for NITAGs

 

Annual from July 2022 (frequency will depend on feedback and funding available)

 

See Vaccinology Meetings Africa page for more information

EIDM virtual training

EIDM monthly webinars

Monthly from March 2022 (frequency will depend on feedback)

EIDM online modules

May 2022. Ongoing

Vaccinology virtual training

Vaccinology webinars

Monthly from Feb 2022 (frequency will depend on feedback)

Vaccinology online modules

May 2022. Ongoing

Access to relevant evidence for Africa

Electronic Information portal:

  • Evidence resources available for Evidence to Recommendation process for priority VPD in Africa
  • Evidence Gap Maps

Upcoming resources for COVID-19– May 2022

Forthcoming May 2022

Library Guide

May 2022

 

Evidence synthesis services to NITAGs

Rapid Evidence Reviews

From March onwards

Send an enquiry to the NiSH project using one of the following channels of communication:

https://forms.gle/AmqYCBkHT4FrW7hr6

Email:  nishafrica.team@gmail.com / vacfa@uct.ac.za

Rating the quality of evidence

May 2022 onwards

Technical support to NITAGs

Access to EIDM, Health Economics, Mathematical Modelling, Health Systems, Design Thinking technical support

March 2022

Send an enquiry to the NiSH project using one of the following channels of communication:

Google Form: https://forms.gle/97XCpX7P5HHMyNucA

Email:  nishafrica.team@gmail.com / vacfa@uct.ac.za

Research to generate evidence for use by NITAGs

Evidence Gap Maps

May 2022

 

Forthcoming May 2022

Postdoctoral Fellowships

March 2022

 

See the Vacancies page

Interns

May 2022 onwards

 

External links:

  1. Wellcome
  2. World Health Organisation
  3. UCT’s School of Public Health & Family Medicine
  4. Cochrane South Africa
  5.  Africa Centre for Evidence (ACE)
  6. Africa Data Hub  (ADH)
  7. Faculty of Health Sciences

Page created on 17 May 2022

Page last updated on 17 May 2022