The 30th Intercountry Meeting of National Managers of the EPI and the 17th Intercountry Meeting 0n Measles/Rubella Control and Elimination was held between December 10-14, 2017, in Muscat, Oman. The event was organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with UNICEF, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), and in coordination with the Oman Ministry of Health (MoH).

Meeting participants reviewed the countries’ progress towards achieving the regional immunization targets, including routine immunization, Measles elimination and Hepatitis B control targets within the context of the Eastern Mediterranean Vaccine Action Plan (EMVAP). In addition, participants reviewed the progress countries made regarding the implementation of national plans, and they discussed key planned and needed activities for strengthening routine immunization, measles/rubella elimination and control and Hepatitis B control programs. Also, as part of the meeting’s program, the latest updates for improving immunization programs were discussed.

The meeting saw the participation of over 140 delegates from ministries of health representing WHO-EMRO’s member states, the WHO Headquarters and country offices, UNICEF Headquarters and its two regional offices MENARO and ROSA, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), GAVI, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the Network for Education and Support in Immunization (NESI), and the John Snow Research and Training Institute. Members of the Regional Technical Advisory Committee (RTAG) were also in attendance, while GHD| EMPHNET’s delegation participated as members of the meeting’s panel.

The meeting’s first session focused on discussing the improvement of routine immunization coverage in countries of the EMR. In this session, country representatives from Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan discussed their respective experiences. Presentations from the WHO, the WHO-EMRO, and UNICEF were also given on demand generation for improving routine immunization coverage; strengthening immunization programs within Africa; and efforts and challenges of resuming routine immunization in northern Syria. From another angle, they also covered issues pertaining to monitoring vaccine and supply stock; global experiences in routine immunization; new vaccines introduction; and polio transition. In this regard, GHD| EMPHNET presented the activities it has done to support immunization in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

Within the same session, GHD| EMPHNET participated in a group discussion that focused on ways to improve routine immunization coverage in countries of the EMR. This discussion started with each country presenting its observations on the strengths and weaknesses of its respective routine immunization coverage, and it ended with the drafting of an outline for main activities to be implemented in 2018-2019 for improving routine coverage within the EMR, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

During the second session of the meeting, participants reviewed the regional situation of measles/rubella control/elimination. County input was presented from Oman, Palestine, Somalia, and Sudan. In this session, representatives from the WHO, the CDC, and WHO/EMRO gave presentations that covered supplementary immunization activities within outbreak response; Measles and rubella laboratory networks; and Measles and rubella surveillance internationally and regionally.

A group work activity was performed to review the countries’ progress in relation to measles/rubella control/elimination. The outcome of this activity was an updated list of planned activities recommended in relation to population immunity within the context EMVAP.

As a whole, this event provided a platform for participants to identify opportunities for collaboration among the ministries of health and their partners towards improving immunization outcomes throughout the region.