A recent report published on the website of the Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies has revealed big differences in how 13 Asian countries provide vaccines to their people.
Some middle-income countries, despite being eligible for limited support from Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, offer fewer vaccines to prevent diseases than others in the region.
The report, authored by the Innovation Lab for Vaccine Delivery (VaxLab) at Duke Kunshan University, was launched in a workshop held on Feb 10 in Singapore. The event was co-hosted by SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute and the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition.
Policymakers, leaders of international organizations such as Gavi, UNICEF and Clinton Health Access Initiative, and researchers from over nine Asia countries came together to discuss common challenges, share best practices and lessons learned, and explore ways to work more closely across the region.
The report, Comparative analysis of the national immunization programmes in select ASEAN and SAARC countries: Progress and challenges, examines how these countries manage their national vaccination programs, grouped by whether or not they qualify for support from Gavi.
While most countries have achieved over 90% coverage for routine vaccinations, newer vaccines—such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), and rotavirus vaccine (RV)—show lower coverage rates.
“Funding remains a major concern for sustaining immunization efforts,” said Dr. Xinyu Zhang, the report’s first author and a former postdoc at Duke Global Health Institute, who is now a research assistant professor of global health at Duke Kunshan University.
“Gavi-eligible countries rely heavily on external funding, while Gavi-ineligible countries depend on domestic financing. Countries that graduate from Gavi support face a ‘funding cliff,’ which poses a significant challenge to maintaining immunization rates.”
“The findings from this report underscore the urgent need for sustainable immunization systems and stronger regional collaboration,” said Prof. Shenglan Tang, director of VaxLab and co-director of the Global Health Research Center at Duke Kunshan University.
To address these challenges, participants discussed key areas to improve national vaccination programs, emphasizing the need for sustainable financing and increased domestic investment. They also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation to share costs and work together on vaccine purchases.
Community engagement was another key priority. Participants stressed the importance of building public trust through transparent communication and involving communities as active partners. The workshop also underscored the need to invest in robust monitoring and evaluation systems to support evidence-based decision-making and efficient resource allocation.
“The workshop provides an invaluable platform to exchange ideas, explore innovative solutions, and strengthen collaboration to enhance immunization coverage and address the existing gaps and challenges,” said Patrick Tan, senior vice dean for research at Duke-NUS, in his opening remarks.
“By fostering regional partnerships and knowledge exchange, we help to ensure that immunization efforts are not only scientifically sound but also contextually relevant and responsive to the unique needs of diverse populations across the Asia Pacific,” said Prof. Heidi Larson of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and co-chair of the Asia Pacific Immunization Coalition, emphasizing the importance of achieving the Immunization Agenda 2030 goals, which aim to make vaccines available to everyone and everywhere.
To download the report, visit: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/380387
