WHO IVB: Request For Proposals – Systematic review of missed opportunities for vaccination
Application deadline: 15 April 2013
– Introduction and Background

Excerpt
Introduction
This request for proposals (RFP) is made by the WHO Department of Immunization Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB). IVB seeks proposals for the rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis of all available data from published and unpublished studies relevant to missed opportunities for vaccination. IVB encourages proposals that include collaboration between institutions/groups in industrialized countries and institutions/groups in low and middle income countries.

Background
As early as 1983, the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) has recommended using every opportunity to immunize all eligible people as a direct strategy to increase vaccination coverage. Protocols for the assessment of “missed opportunities” (defined as any contact with a health service that did not result in an eligible child or woman receiving the needed vaccines) were developed in 1984 and 1988 and widely distributed.

Missed opportunities for vaccination occur in two major settings:
– during visits for immunization and other preventive services (e.g. growth monitoring, nutrition assessments and oral rehydration training sessions, etc.).
– during visits for curative services.

In both settings, eliminating missed opportunities has the potential to raise immunization coverage in a population, particularly when the availability and use of health services is high. When the availability and use of health services is low, immunizing at health care contact is extremely important because the risk for vaccine-preventable diseases is likely to be high in these areas…
– Research objectives
– Proposal Submission/Research Plan
– Deliverables
– Eligibility and How to Apply

More at: http://www.who.int/immunization/rfp_review_missed_opportunities_vaccination/en/index.html