Uganda’s NITAG (UNITAG)

The Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunization (ACVI) was constituted in June 2012 mainly to advise and guide the Uganda Ministry of Health (MoH) in particular and the country at large on the effective use of vaccines to control vaccine-preventable diseases; the introduction of new and underused vaccines into the national health system; how to strengthen Uganda’s health system to better deliver life-saving vaccines; and on issues connected to immunization practice. Activities for the first six months are funded by the African Science Academy Development Initiative (ASADI) of the US National Academies. The ACVI has produced two publications: Policy Advisory in Uganda. Establishing the Advisory Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation  (2012) which gave general information about the committee and a 2013 Policy Brief: Improving Vaccine and Immunisation Coverage in Uganda.

In 2013, the Ministry of Health, through the Permanent Secretary, requested the Strengthening Independent Vaccine Advisory Committees (SIVAC) Initiative for support to strengthen the ACVI and explore the possibility of it functioning as Uganda’s NITAG. SIVAC conducted an assessment of the ACVI which included consultation with the MoH and some Immunization partners in February 2014. SIVAC recommended that the ACVI was well placed to function as Uganda’s NITAG and recommended that a formal process be put in place to activate it. This culminated in the Ministerial Statement Establishing the UNITAG in 2014. UNITAG members serve on four year terms renewable once.

Since its inception, UNITAG has advised the Ministry of Health on various issues including:

1. Introduction of Rotavirus vaccine into the routine schedule,
2. The campaign introduction of Men A vaccine in targeted districts in Uganda,
3. Drafting of the Immunisation Bill, now Immunisation Act 2017.
4. Prioritization for the introduction of five new vaccines (Meningitis vaccine, Hepatitis B birth dose, 2^nd dose of measles-containing vaccine, Yellow fever vaccine, and switch from Tetanus Toxoid vaccine to Tetanus-Diphtheria vaccine) into the routine program for the period 2016-2020. A copy of this report can be found here

In 2020, UNITAG was tasked by MoH to address three issues:

1. How to improve immunization service delivery at the sub-national level
2. Review recommendation on the introduction of Hepatitis B birth dose into Uganda’s routine immunization schedule
3. Review the Immunisation Financial Sustainability Plan for effective implementation