Development and Implementation of a National Deployment and Vaccination Plan for Pandemic Influenza Vaccines - Guidance - 17 April 2012

Overview

Vaccination plays a critical role in limiting the impact of an influenza pandemic and is an essential element of pandemic influenza preparedness and response. The World Health Organization (WHO) has prepared this guidance document and associated planning tools to assist countries to develop, assess, and update their National Deployment and Vaccination Plans (NDVPs). It is designed for public and private sector officials at all levels with responsibility for planning and managing deployment and vaccination operations.

Development of the guidance began in 2008. The initial draft was completed and field-tested shortly before the outbreak of influenza A(H1N1) 2009 and the declaration of a pandemic in June 2009. Consequently, it was used to guide countries in developing their pandemic NDVPs. It was revised in 2010–2011, incorporating experience and lessons learned from the pandemic at global, regional, and country levels and included key recommendations from global and regional workshops on NDVP implementation.