New web-based application provides faster and easier reporting of annual data on Immunization

Since 1998, in an effort to strengthen collaboration and minimize the reporting burden, WHO and UNICEF jointly collect information through a standard questionnaire (the Joint Reporting Form) sent to all Member States. In 2021, this form has been updated to a cloud-based solution known as the electronic Joint Reporting Form (eJRF)

The eJRF collects countries’ annual immunization data which helps identify trends and gaps at the country, regional, and global level. The data are also used for informing progress towards the Immunization Agenda 2030.

In addition, the eJRF’s flexible design allowed for adding a COVID-19 module for monthly vaccination collection. 

The content of the eJRF was developed through a consensus process among staff from UNICEF, WHO, and selected ministries of health (MOH).

Since its inception, the JRF, has provided for the publication and dissemination of consistent immunization system performance data and takes advantage of operational efficiencies within each agency. This has evolved from a limited set of information collected to capturing a wide range of domains of standard performance, planning, financing and quality indicators.

The eJRF portal is coordinated and maintained by WHO Headquarters (Geneva, Switzerland) and UNICEF Headquarters (United Nations, New York).

Once the eJRF is completed by national immunization programme staff and in collaboration with WHO and UNICEF country office counterparts, the data are securely uploaded to WHO/Geneva and/or UNICEF/New York via the eJRF portal. The immunization system performance data are collected for a calendar year, January through December, and countries may update prior years’ data at any time.

The information collected in the eJRF serves as a critical resource for tracking implementation of Global and Regional strategies such as the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), or, up to 2020, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), endorsed by all WHO Member States at the World Health Assembly (WHA). 

Other main uses of the data include:

• Monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends, one of the WHO and UNICEF core functions;
• Monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals;
• Contributing to the WHO/UNICEF estimation of national immunization coverage process;
• Guiding global and regional immunization strategies;
• Informing vaccine-preventable disease burden estimates;
• Maintaining global databases and publications, such as the WHO country summaries and UNICEF’s State of the World's Children.

The WHO/UNICEF eJRF reflects the list of indicators for which data was collected for year 2023. For information on indicators that were collected in previous years, please contact vpdata@who.int.

In addition, data from more recently included indicators in the eJRF are not yet available on the web. Should you need to access this data, send an email to: vpdata@who.int.

The data collected through the eJRF is accessible from: https://www.who.int/data/immunization