Division of Science, Information and Dissemination, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Cairo, Egypt.
Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
East Mediterr Health J. 2023 Jul 31;29(7):562-569. doi: 10.26719/emhj.23.094.
Vaccine effectiveness studies provide evidence on the effects of vaccines for preventing disease and the adverse outcomes following a vaccination rollout programme in a country or a specific population.
To document the technical and capacity-building support provided by WHO to countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region to conduct COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness studies.
WHO implemented interventions to enhance the capacity of EMR countries to conduct COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and similar epidemiological studies. The intervention consisted of several components, including methodological and technical support as well as data and project management at national and regional levels. Two WHO generic protocols were adopted: cohort study among healthcare workers and test-negative design in severe acute respiratory infections surveillance sites.
Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, and Pakistan participated in the programme. The research protocols were adjusted to country context and settings. WHO provided technical, financial and infrastructure support, including the establishment of quality assessment approaches, study conduct, data management, report development, statistical data analysis, and experience-sharing between the countries. Technical capacity-building was also offered to other countries not involved in the vaccine effectiveness studies.
COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to enhance the research capacities of EMR countries for the conduct of vaccine effectiveness studies. The WHO consolidated efforts and its collaboration with countries resulted in enhancement of capacity and research infrastructure, especially in the 4 countries that were supported by this programme. The capacities acquired through the programme would be very useful for other vaccine-preventable communicable diseases, thus better informing national immunization programmes and policies in EMR countries.
疫苗效力研究为疫苗在一个国家或特定人群中预防疾病和接种后不良结局的效果提供了证据。
记录世卫组织向东地中海区域国家提供的技术和能力建设支持，以开展 COVID-19 疫苗效力研究。
世卫组织实施了干预措施，以增强东地中海区域国家开展 COVID-19 疫苗效力和类似流行病学研究的能力。该干预措施包括几个组成部分，包括在国家和区域各级提供方法学和技术支持以及数据和项目管理。采用了世卫组织的两个通用方案：医护人员队列研究和严重急性呼吸道感染监测点的阴性对照设计。
埃及、伊朗伊斯兰共和国、约旦和巴基斯坦参加了该方案。研究方案根据国情和背景进行了调整。世卫组织提供了技术、财务和基础设施支持，包括建立质量评估方法、研究实施、数据管理、报告编制、统计数据分析以及国家间的经验分享。还向未参与疫苗效力研究的其他国家提供了技术能力建设。
COVID-19 大流行为增强东地中海区域国家开展疫苗效力研究的能力提供了机会。世卫组织整合了努力并与各国合作，增强了能力和研究基础设施，特别是在得到该方案支持的 4 个国家。该方案获得的能力对于其他可通过疫苗预防的传染病非常有用，从而为东地中海区域国家的国家免疫规划和政策提供了更好的信息。
