Maternal influenza vaccination programme checklist
To account for the specifics of maternal influenza vaccaination, elements of the supplementary checklist below should be taken into consideration when completing the new vaccine introduction checklist.
| Fundamental health system infrastructure | |
|---|---|
| 1. National antenatal care guidelines are consistent with WHO recommendations on antenatal care* | |
| 2. Surveillance system is in place for influenza activity, including defining start and end of the influenza season, to inform selection of the most appropriate vaccine formulation and timing of influenza vaccination. | |
| Maternal influenza prevention and control policy planning infrastructure | |
| 3. A functional multidisciplinary coordination group is in place to discuss and promote access to a new target population of pregnant women, or women of reproductive age, enabling the formation of partnerships which support and shape the national agenda. | |
| 4. Maternal influenza vaccination strategies, in addition to regular vaccination activities, include collaborative efforts with stakeholders from reproductive health (midwives, nurses, obstetrician-gynaecologists, women’s health physicians), adolescent health, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, prevention of HIV, and stakeholders from other areas that could support vaccination outreach efforts in the community. | |
| 5. Maternal influenza vaccination, including communication and vaccine safety, is included in the national immunization plan. In countries where influenza vaccination is in place, the plan should advise how the official vaccination schedule should be modified to include the vaccination of pregnant women. |
|
| Implementation of maternal influenza vaccination | |
| 6. Existing training plans should be expanded to include training of antenatal care staff and other health-care providers who would be involved in vaccination of pregnant women. | |
| 7. Communication strategies are in place to educate pregnant women, health staff and communities about the benefits of vaccinating pregnant women against influenza, and to respond to rumours and potential concerns about the safety of the vaccine. | |
| Monitoring and evaluation | |
| 8. A system to monitor influenza vaccine coverage in pregnant women, including denominator data, is in place. Early coordination efforts are undertaken with national departments of statistics to prepare information and adverse event reporting forms and tools for registering immunization-related information. Additionally, the electronic data management systems are adapted to include pregnant women receiving influenza vaccine. |
|
| 9. Numerator/denominator is defined to calculate coverage (see section 7.1). | |
| 10. Surveillance strategies or plans developed for monitoring of AEFI, including reactogenicity and maternal, obstetric, fetal and neonatal events. | |
* WHO antenatal care randomized trial. Manual for the implementation of the new model. (Document WHO/RHR/01.30). Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001, accessed 14 September 2022.
Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and newborn care. A guide for essential practice. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015, accessed 14 September 2022. Update expected in 2016.