At the Paris Appeal “to advance women’s and children’s health worldwide”, Melinda Gates personally handed over the 2014 Gates Vaccine Innovation Award to AMP for EPIVAC®, an innovative on-the-job training program for district medical officers in Africa.
EPIVAC’s mission is to substantially improve immunization systems, especially at district level, by strengthening the technical and managerial skills of participants from 11 French-speaking countries in Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
The year-long EPIVAC training program (established in 2002) consists of four weeks of intensive classroom learning, distance tutoring with supportive supervision in the workplace, and an operational research thesis on a vaccination or public health issue relating to the health district. This approach enables participants to apply the lessons learned immediately in their work environment and continue to provide essential services to local populations.
As Dr. Aristide Aplogan, director of EPIVAC and program leader for field epidemiology and vaccinology explains: “Innovation in global health means that communities take ownership of health systems and concepts and take responsibility for their health, including funding. In the context of EPIVAC, innovation has led to significant improvements in the performance of immunization programs and child survival in 11 countries in Africa.”
The results are convincing: since EPIVAC was set up, it is estimated that officers trained under the program have positively impacted around six million lives.
The prestigious Gates award recognises AMP’s commitment to supporting capacity building for countries to prevent and control endemic and vaccine-preventable diseases.