Lessons learned on IPV introduction and the Switch from tOPV to bOPV in the Americas

Abstract

[Purpose of this report]. The introduction of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and synchronized switch from the trivalent oral polio vaccine (tOPV) to the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) (“the Switch”) in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) / World Health Organization (WHO) Region of the Americas have been an effort without precedent,with astonishing results. All countries/territories in the Region slated for IPV introduction and the Switch in 2015–2016 (32 and 36 “countries” respectively)1 managed to carry out the required decision-making, planning and preparation, implementation, and communication tasks, through their national immunization programs (NIPs), within the established timeframe. To learn more about the facilitators and barriers for this unique achievement, PAHO’s Regional Immunizations team conducted two country surveys (one on IPV introduction, and the other on the Switch). The purpose of this report was to document and analyze) the information collected from the survey respondents about their experience, including the lessons learned—an important part of Polio Legacy in the Americas, and 2) the processes that led to this highly successful experience in IPV introduction and the Switch. The summary and analysis of lessons learned—from the perspective of the countries in the Region, and PAHO/WHO and their partners—could help guide the introduction of other vaccines or the withdrawal of current ones (e.g., bOPV, once polio eradication has been achieved) by policymakers and health specialists in the Americas and other regions of the world.