World Pneumonia Day 2022: Restoring Coverage of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines as a Priority

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major backsliding for childhood vaccinations with many of the world’s most vulnerable populations left not fully protected or not receiving any life-saving immunizations at all. Use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) is one of the most effective interventions for preventing pneumonia deaths among children under five and countries have struggled to achieve universal coverage and reach at-risk communities even before the onset of a global pandemic. For this year’s World Pneumonia Day, IVAC gathered a diverse panel of experts to discuss the implications of observed declines in PCV coverage and to explore promising approaches or strategies to expand PCV delivery from the lenses of epidemiology, health economics, and implementation science. We hope you find this interdisciplinary panel’s insight valuable and learn about the path forward to restore, maintain and expand PCV coverage.

Panelists:

• Dr. Chizoba Wonodi, International Vaccine Access Center (Moderator)
• Dr. Annick Sidibe, Jhpiego (Burkina Faso)
• Dr. Lulu Bravo, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila
• Dr. Ruth Jimbo-Sotomayor, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
• Dr. Ruth Lucinde, KEMRI-Wellcome Trust (Kenya)