Strengthening Immunization for Children in Central and West Africa’s Francophone Countries

This project aims to reduce the mortality and morbidity rate among children under five by improving access to vaccines in Francophone countries of the Central and West Africa region, where immunization coverage is disproportionate to the affected population. Pneumonia and diarrhea are the main causes of morbidity and mortality among children under five. The project seeks to expedite the introduction of immunization against these diseases in the 17 Central and West African countries that are members of La Francophonie, and to improve the decision-making process of local governments regarding vaccine planning and procurement in these countries. Project activities include: (1) effectively supplying vaccines to the targeted countries; (2) providing targeted technical assistance to governments and the local population to strengthen their commitment to improve national decision mechanisms, to consolidate underlying health systems, and to ensure the success of systematic immunization; (3) to maintain and improve the quality of immunization data, to determine coverage rates and to work with countries to establish bases for estimates, and to propose support appropriate to the situations of the various countries. It is estimated that this project will help prevent nearly 23,000 premature deaths from rotavirus and 163,000 premature deaths from pneumonia due to the introduction of these vaccines in the countries targeted in 2014. The project significantly complements efforts by Canada and the GAVI Alliance via the Advance Market Commitment for pneumococcal vaccine to fight pneumonia in children under five.