Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

Immunization and Disasters

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics is pleased to welcome you to submit your research to the Article Collection "Immunization and Disasters".

Disasters are a major challenge for infectious disease control and elimination. Disruption of food systems, degradation of housing, water supply, and waste management, and reduced functioning of transportation systems and public health institutions during and following a disaster all create a window of heightened risks of exposure and vulnerability to pathogens. These circumstances impair immune functions, increase exposure to vectors and environmental reservoirs of pathogens, and reduce the capacity of the health system to deliver immunization services, and of the population to seek, access, and utilize them, respectively. When these risks are not managed strategically, decline in vaccination coverage and outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) typically follow a disaster event. The consequence is rolling back decades of gains in disease control and elimination, thus compounding difficulties for population health and creating risks of other disasters, which can further compromise vaccination.

The frequency and impact of disasters have been increasing in many countries over the past decades. Nevertheless, despite the recognized detrimental impact of both natural and human-made disasters on immunization, there is limited evidence on how decisions are made and what are the best approaches to protect population health from VPDs in such contexts. Recognizing these difficulties, in 2017 the World Health Organization developed a three-step framework, Vaccination in Acute Humanitarian Emergencies: A Framework For Decision Making, to guide implementation of vaccination interventions in humanitarian settings in a manner that is consistent with current evidence and best practices in public health. The framework recommends assessment of epidemiological risk, vaccine amenability for delivery for each VPD, and contextual considerations and competing needs. However, most countries affected by humanitarian crises, complex emergencies, and resulting disruptions of immunization services typically have poorly-functioning institutions, chronic crises, and vulnerability to extreme weather and climate events and, therefore, may struggle to implement relevant frameworks and guidelines.

This Collection aims to contribute to providing clarity on this subject and strengthening the evidentiary basis for policy and practice. While the collection will consider manuscripts covering all aspects of immunization in disaster, humanitarian, and complex emergency settings, priority will be given to manuscripts relating to the following areas:

1. Vaccination strategies
2. Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, epidemiology, and response
3. Vaccine stock and supply management
4. Vaccine compliance, coverage, inequalities, hesitancy, and demand
5. Vaccine safety pharmacovigilance and quality control

Meet the Guest Advisor

Doctor Floriano Amimo is a physician-scientist specializing in global health, whose research spans vaccinology, antimicrobial resistance, infectious disease modeling, public health emergencies, health policy and systems, health economics and outcomes, epidemiology, and biostatistics. He earned his Ph.D. degree from the Department of Global Health Policy at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine. He also holds a Medical degree and a Master of Public Health degree from Eduardo Mondlane University Faculty of Medicine, where he currently serves as an assistant lecturer. He has previously served as a research fellow at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and a consultant for the World Health Organization.

The Guest Advisors declare no conflict of interest regarding this work.