GNN monthly update: March/April 26

Global updates

• Save the date – World Immunization Week – 24-30 April 2026
  “For every generation, vaccines work”- World Immunization Week 2026 will highlight how vaccines have protected communities for generations and continue to safeguard our future. The campaign builds confidence in vaccination and supports health workers to respond with empathy and transparency to concerns about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. 
  Learn how you can take action for immunization on the campaign website and utlize ideas from the campaign strategy to raise awareness in your network. As a Global NITAG Network member, use your expertise throughout the week to tell the story of how vaccines work for every generation.
   
• Guidance for using modelling for immunization decision-making  
  This WHO guidance helps NITAGs, RITAGs, EPI managers, and partners understand and apply modelling to inform immunization decisions. It provides practical approaches for translating modelling results and integrating them into the decision-making process. The guidance has been developed with input and review from GNN members and is also available through NITAG Resource Center training page.
   

Global webinars:

• SAGE Meeting Highlights – 9–12 March 2026
  Topics: IA2030, vaccine recommendations for COVID-19, Typhoid and Polio, and Vaccine Portfolio Optimisation and Prioritisation (VPOP). 
   
• Upcoming GNN Webinar – Pneumococcal Vaccine, 22 April 2026
  Topic: key updates and insights related to pneumococcal vaccine use and new policy considerations. Available online end of April, here.
   

Regional Updates

Region of Africa

• The 4th Annual Vaccinology Course for NITAGs (AVCN 2025) course report and related materials are now published. They summarise the course structure, discussions, and key reflections from the training, which aims to strengthen NITAG capacity in vaccinology and evidence-informed immunisation decision-making. The the 5th African Vaccinology Course for NITAGs (AVCN) is schedueld for 25–29 May 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.
   

Region of the Americas:

• Recommendations on the use of pneumococcal vaccine
• Recommendations on the use of measles-containing vaccine
   

Region of the Eastern Mediterranean:

• 2025 NITAG Maturity Assessment Report
  This regional follow‑up assessment documents substantial improvements in the maturity and performance of NITAGs across 19 EMR countries between 2023 and 2025. It highlights significant progress in independence, operations, stakeholder recognition, and overall criteria scores, reflecting strengthened governance, enhanced evidence‑based processes, and the impact of targeted capacity‑building efforts supported by WHO.
   

Region of Europe

• Publication: Frontiers | Evaluation of NITAGs of middle-income countries in the WHO European Region; a synopsis

National Updates

Chikungunya

• The NITAG of Belgium updated their recommendations of vaccination against chikungunya

COVID-19

• The NITAG of the Netherlands published their recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination for 2026/2027. Available in Dutch.

Influenza

• ATAGI (NITAG of Australia) published a statement on the administration of seasonal influenza vaccines for 2026
   
• The NITAG of Belgium published their recommendation on vaccination against seasonal influenza vaccines for 2026/2027
   
• The NITAG of Brazil published influenza recommendations for 2026. Available in Portuguese.
   
• JCVI updated the National flu immunisation programme 2026/2027

RSV

• JCVI updated their Guide on vaccination for older adults

Additional recommendations

• The Brazilian NITAG has published their National Immunization Schedule 2026. Available in Portuguese.

Recent publications

• Publication on nationwide, register based study shows long-term protection against cervical cancer after quadrivalent HPV vaccination.