One of the major contributing reasons for low vaccination rates in developing countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is the lack of adequate numbers of skilled health care professionals.
Merck is a founding partner in the GAVI Alliance (GAVI), a historic public-private partnership committed to improving the health of children by extending the reach and quality of immunization coverage in least developed countries. As part of our commitment to GAVI, Merck initiated the Merck Vaccine Network - Africa (MVN-A), a multi-year philanthropic initiative providing for the development of sustainable immunization training centers in Africa.
In support of GAVI's mission of increasing children's access to vaccines and strengthening delivery systems in the world's poorest countries, MVN-A Centers provide mid- to high-level immunization program managers with hands-on training in vaccine management and immunization services.
First Centers Established in Kenya and Mali
With funding from The Merck Company Foundation, MVN-A launched in 2003 with two Centers in Kenya and Mali.
According to UNICEF, Africa has the highest prevalence of vaccine-preventable disease in the world. Yet 50 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa do not receive basic vaccinations in their first year of life.
Source: The State of the World's Children 2004 Report, UNICEF; 2003 Revised State of the World's Vaccines and Immunization Report, World Health Organization 2003
The MVN-A Center in Kenya is a collaboration between Indiana University School of Medicine (Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.) and Moi University School of Medicine (Eldoret, Kenya). The Center in Mali is a collaboration between the University of Maryland School of Medicine Center for Vaccine Development (Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.) and Centre pour le Développement des Vaccins-Mali (Bamako, Mali).
Both Centers developed their training programs based on comprehensive in-country assessments of local immunization management needs. Training materials are based on educational source materials developed by WHO and other GAVI partners. Training efforts in both countries are built upon partnerships with key stakeholders including Ministries of Health, WHO and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
To date, more than 350 health professionals in Kenya and Mali have completed MVN-A training and returned to their home medical facilities to share their expertise and knowledge with colleagues at the front line. In 2007, The Merck Company Foundation provided renewed funding to both Centers, allowing them to expand training to additional health workers in Kenya and Mali and explore new, innovative training methods to address emerging immunization management needs.
New Centers Announced in Uganda and Zambia
In 2007, The Merck Company Foundation also announced a commitment to fund the establishment of two new immunization training Centers in Uganda and Zambia. The MVN-A Center in Uganda will be a collaboration between The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, Emory University (Decatur, Georgia, U.S.A.) and Makerere University School of Public Health (Kampala, Uganda). The Center in Zambia will be a collaboration between Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (Brighton, England, U.K.) and the University of Zambia School of Medicine (Lusaka, Zambia).
Over the coming years, the two new MVN-A Centers will assess training needs, adapt educational materials and curricula, and accelerate the roll out of new training courses for immunization managers in Uganda and Zambia.
MVN-A Centers are selected via a rigorous, competitive grant application process.
MVN-A reflects Merck's commitment to improving access to medicines, vaccines and quality health care in the developing world through disease education, training and services initiatives.
To view other examples of how Merck is working across sectors to improve health in the developing world, click on the links below:
