The Zimbabwe NITAG (ZIMNITAG) was restructured in July 2016 and successfully held its first meeting on the 5th of August, 2016. The meeting was attended by 7 Core members, 1 Liaison and 1 Secretariat member. In this meeting the Internal procedure manual was endorsed by the members and a first ever working group formed.
The ZIMNITAG was appointed in 2011 and in July 2016 carried out a restructuration with the aim of better aligning its membership and mode of operations with WHO Guidelines for a functional NITAG. An orientation workshop was held shortly thereafter to train members in the role of the NITAG and tools for its proper functioning. The ZIMNITAG gives advice concerning the National Immunization Policy and will provide scientific evidence-based recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, which will then issue directives and policy as applicable.
In its upcoming agenda, the NITAG is planning to develop a recommendation on Hepatitis B birth dose vaccine, switch from TT to Td vaccine and scaling up of HPV in the country. As part of the ZIMNITAG’s capacity building activities, one of its members will be attending the VACFA vaccinology course in Cape Town in November this year. The committee will also meet every 3 months and will be in contact regularly.
- Zimbabwe
