Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition
Vaccination is regarded as one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions which has prevented numerous deaths associated with infectious diseases. However, vaccine hesitancy and insufficient health system support are threatening to reverse the unprecedented progress made in combatting vaccine-preventable diseases.
To tackle the issue of vaccine confidence and the resilience of immunization programmes in the region, the Asia-Pacific Immunization Coalition (APIC) has recently been formed to protect and sustain the hard-fought vaccination gains and build confidence in new vaccines resilient immunization systems that are well-resourced, sustainable, equitable, and integrated into the wider national healthcare system. The coalition aims to achieve this by using an evidence-informed approach to advocacy, activities and research to instil the value of vaccines among consumers, policymakers and other heath stakeholders.
The coalition is hosted within the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI) and is co-chaired by Prof. Tikki Pangestu, a visiting professor at NUS Medicine, and Prof. Heidi Larson, Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine (LSTHM) and visiting professor at NUS. Other founding members of the coalition include thought leaders and experts from the Asia-Pacific region representing diverse fields of public health policy, immunization advocacy, behavioural science, implementation research and infectious diseases.
Asia Dengue Voice & Action Group (ADVA)
The Asia Dengue Voice & Action Group (ADVA) was officially set up in 2013 with a mission to identify opportunities to make practical recommendations in dengue-related areas such as improving surveillance and laboratory capacity for dengue disease confirmation with other relevant dengue initiatives, including V2V (vaccine to vaccination) and the Dengue Vaccine Initiative.
ADVA advocates for a collaborative approach to sharing surveillance data and relevant information to ensure the success of dengue prevention through vaccination across regions. ADVA also reinforces the importance of a united front against dengue, and presents a collaborative model for joint effort in the region to prevent the disease through the introduction and implementation of dengue vaccination.
The group has formulated recommendations with an ultimate aim of translating the science of dengue vaccination into messages for policy makers, general public and health care workers.
