Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on the Perceived Value of Thermostable Vaccines to Relieve Program Barriers: A Case Study from Côte d'Ivoire

Anna-Lea Kahn; Dijana Spasenoska; Kouadio Daniel Ekra; Soplé Ruth Coulibaly; Kossia Yao; Sié Kabran Kouadio; Aminatou Sar; Joanie Robertson

doi:10.3390/vaccines12121414

Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on the Perceived Value of Thermostable Vaccines to Relieve Program Barriers: A Case Study from Côte d'Ivoire

Vaccines (Basel). 2024 Dec 16;12(12):1414. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12121414.

Authors

Anna-Lea Kahn^{1

2

3}, Dijana Spasenoska^{1

4}, Kouadio Daniel Ekra⁵, Soplé Ruth Coulibaly⁵, Kossia Yao⁵, Sié Kabran Kouadio⁶, Aminatou Sar^{7

8}, Joanie Robertson⁹

Affiliations

¹ World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters, Avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
² Swiss Centre for International Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, 4123 Basel, Switzerland.
³ Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK.
⁵ Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), Ministry of Health, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
⁶ World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
⁷ United Nations Sustainable Development Group, Cotonou 01-3621, Benin.
⁸ PATH-Senegal, Dakar BP 15115, Senegal.
⁹ PATH-Headquarters, Seattle, WA 98121, USA.

Abstract

Background: Persistent inequities in access to vaccinations pose challenges for immunization programs worldwide. Innovations facilitating vaccine delivery, such as leveraging vaccine thermostability through a Controlled Temperature Chain (CTC), have emerged as a potential solution to increase coverage in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) countries such as Côte d'Ivoire, reducing dependence on the cold chain and improving vaccine delivery efficiency. However, the added value of thermostable vaccines and their integration into national immunization programs is under-recognized by stakeholders. This consultation aimed to convene key immunization stakeholders in Côte d'Ivoire in order to examine their perceptions regarding the value of vaccine thermostability to address barriers to outreach and equity in immunization programs.

Methods: A novel workshop model involving structured group discussions was used to document the viewpoints of national stakeholders representing different areas of the immunization program. They prioritized barriers undermining coverage and equity in their country and explored the potential impact of CTC on the immunization program in the context of thermostable vaccines. The vaccines discussed were for Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus, and Meningitis.

Results: The workshop outcomes highlighted the context and vaccine-specific variation of the importance of certain barriers, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies. The barriers considered most likely to be alleviated by vaccine thermostability were under the categories of human resource management, vaccine supply and logistics, and services delivery. The least relevant category of barriers concerned demand generation.

Conclusions: The consultation provided valuable insights into stakeholder perspectives, priorities, and conditions for the effective integration of thermostable vaccines, informing future product development and policy decisions to optimize vaccine delivery and address immunization challenges in LMICs.

Keywords: Côte d’Ivoire; controlled temperature chain; innovation uptake; stakeholder perceptions; supply chain efficiencies; thermostable vaccines; vaccine delivery.

Grants and funding

The described work was funded by contributions to the World Health Organization by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) for Health Sector Cooperation from the People’s Republic of China (Award no. 72030 VCS S CN 2020-21 EPI). PATH’s contributions were also supported in part by this funding source, in addition to a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Award no. INV-04127). Funders did not have any input in the case study, nor the writing of this manuscript. The views expressed are those of the author(s) alone and do not necessarily represent the institutions with which they are affiliated, nor those of the funding organization. Under the grant conditions of the Foundation, a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License has already been assigned to the Author Accepted Manuscript version that might arise from this submission.