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  • Title: Progress of EPI programs reviewed in Central American and Andean regions.
    Journal: EPI Newsl; 1995 Oct; 17(5):3-5. PubMed ID: 12290577.
    Abstract:
    Measles eradication was a priority agenda item of the two annual meetings of the managers of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) in the Andean and Central American regions which took place in August 1995. In order to reduce the risk of new outbreaks, Central American countries are planning measles vaccination campaigns for children under age five years before March 1996. Tabulated data show that overall coverage rates for EPI antigens remained at high rates in the region for 1994-95. During the meetings, minimum measles surveillance indicators were recommended and countries were advised to maintain over 95% vaccination coverage of all children under a year old, to monitor the accumulation of susceptibles and carry out vaccination campaigns when this number is equal to the cohort of newborns, to increase the recommended age for primary measles vaccination from 9 to 12 months, to expand the reporting network, to strengthen use of the Measles Elimination Surveillance System database, and to focus epidemiological surveillance on suspected measles cases. Recommendations to bolster the decline in neonatal tetanus (NNT) in the region include making vaccination a priority for women of childbearing age in high-risk areas, identifying new high-risk areas, and investigating all cases of NNT. During the meetings, participants emphasized the importance of maintaining the eradication of poliomyelitis through political commitment, surveillance activities, vaccination coverage, and timely notification. Recommendations to control diphtheria included standardizing case definitions and control measures, strengthening surveillance, promoting the use of dT vaccine in women of childbearing age at high risk of NNT, organizing a national laboratory network for diagnosis, and strengthening the vaccination of one-year-old children with DPT. Vaccination against hepatitis B has already begun in high-risk areas of some countries and is being incorporated in the vaccination programs of others. The systematic use and monitoring of the following EPI indicators were also recommended: vaccination coverage, surveillance, number and percentage of municipalities with DPT1 coverage over 90%, dropout rates between DPT1/DPT3 and DPT1/measles, percentages of resources in the EPI Plan of Action directed toward high-risk areas, proportion of national resources in relation to external resources, and degree of interagency coordination.
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