WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG): Report of the Ninth Meeting
New Delhi, India, 17–20 July 2018
Overview
The Ninth Meeting of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) South-East Asia
Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group (SEAR-ITAG) was held from 17 to
20 July 2018 in New Delhi, the Republic of India (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 vaccine-preventable-disease (VPD) prevention, control, elimination and
eradication. 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 progress in performance of NIPs relative to the strategic goals outlined in the South-East Asia Regional Vaccine Action Plan (SEAR-VAP);
- review progress in implementation of the recommendations of the eighth SEAR-ITAG meeting held in June 2017; and
- identify priority actions for 2018 to 2019 to achieve the milestones and goals
outlined in the SEAR-VAP.
