National Immunization programme reviews typically assess the strengths and weaknesses of an immunization programme at national, subnational and service delivery levels with the purpose of providing evidence for the programme’s strategic directions and priority activities. Related assessments, such as new vaccine Post-Introduction Evaluations (PIE) are recommended to be performed 6 to 12 months after introduction of a new vaccine into a national programme.

The introduction of influenza vaccination differs in several key aspects from other routine vaccines, including delivery through seasonal campaigns, breadth of target groups (including children 6—23 months, health care workers, persons with chronic diseases, pregnant women, persons 65 years and older), and phased introduction. To support national immunization programme managers to optimize the introduction and implementation of influenza immunization programmes in countries, WHO has developed the Influenza Post Introduction Evaluation tool (IPIE). This tool is designed to provide a systematic method for evaluating a national influenza immunization program. It uses structured interviews at the national, provincial, and health facility levels and with specific target groups supplemented with systematic observations of vaccination sessions and vaccine storage sites.