Health Affairs
February 2016; Volume 35, Issue 2
http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/current
Issue Focus: Vaccines
Vaccine Discovery, Production, And Delivery
Alan R. Weil
Extract
Vaccines are a bit like a wonder drug. A shot or two is all it takes to prevent premature death or a lifetime of disability. What more do we need to know? Quite a lot, it turns out. The gap between the potential vaccines offer and what we actually achieve is determined by myriad social, economic, political, and health system factors.

As Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, notes in an interview in these pages: “Vaccines do not deliver themselves.” They also don’t finance their own development or distribution, educate the public about their benefits, or eliminate income disparities in access to health services.
The complex environment in which vaccines are discovered, produced, and delivered is the theme of this month’s Health Affairs.

.

DataGraphic
Why The Decade Of Vaccines?
Health Aff February 2016 35:188-189; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1518

Interview
Eliminating Vaccine-Preventable Diseases Around The World
Alan R. Weil

.

Value Of Vaccines
Return On Investment From Childhood Immunization In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, 2011–20
Sachiko Ozawa, Samantha Clark, Allison Portnoy, Simrun Grewal, Logan Brenzel, and Damian G. Walker

.

Sustainable Financing For Vaccines
Vaccine Assistance To Low- And Middle-Income Countries Increased To $3.6 Billion In 2014
Annie Haakenstad, Maxwell Birger, Lavanya Singh, Patrick Liu, Stephen Lim, Marie Ng, and Joseph L. Dieleman

Gavi’s Transition Policy: Moving From Development Assistance To Domestic Financing Of Immunization Programs
Judith Kallenberg, Wilson Mok, Robert Newman, Aurélia Nguyen, Theresa Ryckman, Helen Saxenian, and Paul Wilson
Health Aff February 2016 35:250-258; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1079

EPIC Studies: Governments Finance, On Average, More Than 50 Percent Of Immunization Expenses, 2010–11
Logan Brenzel, Carl Schütte, Keti Goguadze, Werner Valdez, Jean-Bernard Le Gargasson, and Teresa Guthrie

ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Routes Countries Can Take To Achieve Full Ownership Of Immunization Programs
Michael McQuestion, Andrew Carlson, Khongorzul Dari, Devendra Gnawali, Clifford Kamara, Helene Mambu-Ma-Disu, Jonas Mbwanque, Diana Kizza, Dana Silver, and Eka Paatashvili
Health Aff February 2016 35:266-271; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1067

PERSPECTIVE: Country Ownership And Gavi Transition: Comprehensive Approaches To Supporting New Vaccine Introduction
Angela K. Shen, Jonathan M. Weiss, Jon Kim Andrus, Clint Pecenka, Deborah Atherly, Katherine Taylor, and Michael McQuestion

.

Strengthening Immunization Programs
ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative: Progress, Lessons Learned, And Polio Legacy Transition Planning
Stephen L. Cochi, Lea Hegg, Anjali Kaur, Carol Pandak, and Hamid Jafari
Health Aff February 2016 35:277-283; doi:10.1377/hlthaff.2015.1104

Reorganizing Nigeria’s Vaccine Supply Chain Reduces Need For Additional Storage Facilities, But More Storage Is Required
Ekundayo Shittu, Melissa Harnly, Shanta Whitaker, and Roger Miller

INNOVATION PROFILE: Argentina’s Successful Implementation Of A National Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Program
Hannah Patel, Ellen Wilson, Carla Vizzotti, Greg Parston, Jessica Prestt, and Ara Darzi

Strategies To Boost Maternal Immunization To Achieve Further Gains In Improved Maternal And Newborn Health
Mark R. Steedman, Beate Kampmann, Egbert Schillings, Hanan Al Kuwari, and Ara Darzi

As Oral Vaccines Fall Short In Low-Income Countries, Researchers Look For Solutions
Carina Storrs

.

Eliminating Measles & Rubella
ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY: Combining Global Elimination Of Measles And Rubella With Strengthening Of Health Systems In Developing Countries
Jon Kim Andrus, Stephen L. Cochi, Louis Z. Cooper, and Jonathan D. Klein

.