Pandemic influenza deployment workshop and exercise: ensuring timely access, distribution, and delivery of pandemic supplies, meeting report, Hanoi, Viet Nam, 11–12 December 2019

Overview

Lessons learned during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic resulted in stronger commitment of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its Member States to pursue a more systematic planning for access, availability and deployment of the pandemic influenza vaccines. To support Member States strengthen their pandemic preparedness and response capacity, WHO advocates for countries to develop national deployment and vaccination plans (NDVP). Following the WHO recommendation, General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM), Ministry of Health in Viet Nam, in partnership with the WHO Country Office in Viet Nam, developed the draft NDVP.

To understand current capacities for effective deployment of pandemic vaccines in Viet Nam and test the draft NDVP, the WHO Country Office convened a national “Pandemic Influenza Deployment Workshop and Exercise: Ensuring Timely Access, Distribution, Use and Delivery of Pandemic Supplies” from 11 to 12 December 2019 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The workshop was attended by 19 national experts representing a range of health institutions, from the Ministry of Health and Drug Administration to national and regional offices of CDC Viet Nam, Pasteur Institute, agencies responsible for immunization, vaccine manufacturer as well as 11 experts from WHO Headquarters, WHO Regional Office for Western Pacific (WPRO), WHO Country Office in Viet Nam and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA (CDC)