Immunization campaigns are a vital delivery strategy to improve coverage and decrease morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases. Campaigns are used frequently to administer a variety of lifesaving vaccines such as measles, cholera, yellow fever, and Covid-19. Immunization campaigns require significant resources over a short period of time. Inadequate funding can decrease a campaign’s effectiveness, […]

After a three-day convention, the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization announced that a single-dose schedule for the vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) “offers solid protection against cervical cancer.”  This is a major development in the global movement to eliminate cervical cancer, which plagues women in low- and middle-income countries […]

Written by Andrea Bare (Program Director, ThinkWell) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. Cervical cancer elimination is one of countless areas to be addressed through UHC, but noteworthy given […]

Following on from studies conducted in India and Sierra Leone, the ICAN team released the report of the campaign costing study conducted in Nigeria as part of efforts to standardize campaign costing.  The study in Nigeria aimed to estimate the delivery cost of the yellow fever campaigns in Anambra, Katsina, and Rivers states, with Meningitis […]

As part of efforts through ICAN to standardize campaign costing, the team has released a policy brief with findings from three costing studies of immunization campaigns conducted in India, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Two of these campaigns were integrated (more than one intervention was delivered), a mode of delivery that is more of a priority […]

Written by Marissa Maggio (Communications Specialist, ThinkWell), Anne Musuva (Country Director, ThinkWell Kenya), and Nirmala Ravishankar (Program Director, ThinkWell) Kenya’s health system has evolved significantly over the past decade; however, one goal remains unchanged—achieving universal health coverage (UHC), the guarantee that every Kenyan has affordable, equitable access to the highest attainable standard of health. And […]

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  On September 21, 2021, the USAID Health Financing Activity (HFA), which is implemented by ThinkWell, sponsored the 7th Indonesian Health Economics Association (InaHEA) Biennial Scientific Meeting. This three-day gathering of some of the greatest minds in health economics in Indonesia presented an opportunity for attendees not only to share ideas to optimize resources under […]

Written by Andrea Bare (Program Director, ThinkWell) and Martha Coe (Program Manager, ThinkWell) Routine immunization is not clearly and consistently prioritized—nor is it sufficiently funded—in many countries across the income spectrum. Yet, the evidence has spoken: the benefits of immunization are undeniable. Not only is immunization successful in warding off disease—it is also a cost-effective […]

Immunization is universally recognized as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, yet low investment in immunization programs and variable vaccination coverage rates suggest that something else might be going on behind the scenes. Why is investment in immunization not as strong and sustainable as possible, even in settings where resources are generally available? […]