WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG): Report of the Tenth Meeting
New Delhi, India, 9-12 July 2019
Overview
The Tenth Meeting of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG) was held from 9–12 July 2019 in New Delhi, India. The SEAR-ITAG (referred to hereafter as the ITAG) is a regional technical expert group, established by WHO’s Regional Director for South-East Asia to provide advice on all aspects of immunization, vaccines and the prevention, control, elimination and eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD). It comprises experts from such disciplines as programme management, communicable disease and VPD control, virology, epidemiology and immunization. National Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) managers, national surveillance focal points, representatives of national immunization technical advisory groups (NITAGs) and partner agencies participate in the ITAG’s annual meeting.
The objectives of this meeting were to:
- review the progress in the performance of NIPs relative to the strategic goals outlined in the South-East Asia Regional Vaccine Action Plan 2016–2020 (SEAR-VAP);
- review the progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the ninth meeting of the SEAR-ITAG, held in July 2018; and
- identify priority actions that should be taken during 2019–2020 to achieve the milestones and goals outlined in the SEAR-VAP.
