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Int'l Organizations - B	back to top

Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendarzte (BVKJ) Language: German Audience: parents, young people, educators, paediatricians and other interested members of the public The primary objective of the web site of the Berufsverband der Kinder- und Jugendarzte e.V. – BVKJ (Professional Association of Children’s and Young People’s Physicians) is to provide parents, educators, paediatricians and other interested members of the public with information on the subject of children’s and young people’s health. Apart from daily reports on vaccination and other issues, the web site also provides a comprehensive encyclopaedia on children’s and young people’s major diseases, including all the infectious diseases which can be prevented by vaccination. A main section of the web site is the chapter entitled "Impfen schutzt" (Vaccination as a safeguard). This contains comprehensive information on vaccination as well as current recommendations provided by the Vaccination Committee at the Robert Koch Institut in Berlin. Members of this Committee oversee this section of the web site. The pages address general questions on vaccination safety such as the correct time to receive vaccinations and possible contraindications and reactions to vaccination, as well as providing information on individual vaccines. The vaccination schedule for Germany can be printed from the site. The internet service is subject to permanent quality control. The content is regularly reviewed by an editing committee of the BVKJ and updated whenever necessary.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Global Health Program is focused on reducing global health inequities by accelerating the development, deployment, and sustainability of health interventions that will save lives and dramatically reduce the disease burden in developing countries. The Foundation has committed more than $1 billion to projects focused on the prevention and control of infectious disease. These grants are building coalitions between scientists, universities, non-profit agencies, and private industry to ensure that all children have access to vaccines and that new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics are developed and deployed. The website includes a number of story galleries and slides shows.

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Int'l Organizations - C	back to top

Catalogue et Index des Sites Medicaux Francophones (CiSMeF) Language: French Audience: health professionals, researchers, and members of the public CiSMeF is a quality-controlled subject gateway with the objective of describing and indexing the main French language health resources to assist health professionals and consumers in their search for electronic information. CiSMeF has three priority axes: evidence- based medicine, teaching and patient information, and also includes a list of clinical guidelines and consensus development conferences, hospitals, medical universities, health institutions, medical libraries, medical publishers, electronic journals, electronic textbooks, databases, teaching and continuing medical education, mailing lists, research laboratories and institutes, and health and patient associations. Searching for health information using CiSMeF requires familiarity with MeSH terminology. CiSMeF is a project of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rouen and partners.

Centro Nazionale di Epidemiologia Sorveglianza, Promozione della Salute, Instituto Superiore di Sanita (EpiCentro) Language: Italian Audience : health-care professionals, physicians, veterinary surgeons, nurses and any other technical or counseling professionals working in health institutions at the national, regional or local level. Regular visitors also include family associations and the general public. EpiCentro is the website of the National Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion (Cnesps) of the National Institute of Health (ISS) in Italy. Targeted mainly at health-care professionals, the objective of the website is to provide access to epidemiological information while, at the same time, facilitating resource-sharing at a local level. The EpiCentro homepage contains information on diverse public health issues. The ISS's National Center of Epidemiology, Surveillance and Health Promotion promotes research and development in the fields of epidemiology and biostatistics. At the same time, the center has, as an objective, the application of research findings to public health programs aimed at protecting human health and assessing health services.

Communication Initiative The Communication Initiative is a partnership between The Rockefeller Foundation, BBC World Service Trust, CFSC Consortium, The CHANGE Project, CIDA, Exchange, FAO, Ford Foundation, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, OneWorld, The Panos Institute, PCI, Soul City, The Synergy Project, UNAIDS, UNICEF, USAID, and WHO. The Initiative publishes an international health newsletter as part of an email and web network, sign up here.

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Int'l Organizations - D	back to top

Doctors Without Borders Médecins Sans Frontières (also known as Doctors Without Borders or MSF) delivers emergency aid to victims of armed conflict, epidemics, and natural and man-made disasters, and to others who lack health care due to social or geographical isolation. MSF was founded in 1971 by a small group of French doctors who believed that all people have the right to medical care regardless of race, religion, creed or political affiliation, and that the needs of these people supersede respect for national borders. MSF is an international network with sections in 18 countries. Each year, more than 2,500 volunteer doctors, nurses, other medical professionals, logistics experts, water/sanitation engineers, and administrators join 15,000 locally hired staff to provide medical aid in more than 80 countries.

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Int'l Organizations - E	back to top

European Vaccine Manufacturers EVM is a specialized group within the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). EVM was established to promote a favourable climate for expanded vaccine protection and improved vaccine coverage in Europe, and to help sustain the innovative research and development capability of vaccine manufacturers in Europe. Their website has a number of resources for the public and providers.

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Int'l Organizations - G	back to top

GAVI Alliance GAVI is a partnership of public and private organizations dedicated to increasing children's access worldwide to immunization against life-threatening diseases. Through The Vaccine Fund, GAVI provides considerable financial resources to countries to purchase vaccines and other supplies and to support the operational costs of immunization. GAVI has developed an online resource for GAVI partners, international donors, policy-makers, health planners, immunization programme managers, and researchers that seek and share information about immunization financing, available at: www.who.int/immunization_financing/en For more information, email: info@gavialliance.org.

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Int'l Organizations - H	back to top

Hib Initiative The Hib Initiative unites experts from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to advance evidence-informed decision-making regarding the introduction and use of Hib vaccination in the developing world.

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Int'l Organizations - I	back to top

InfoVac Language: French, German Audience: health-care professionals, the general public (including parents and patients) and the media. Via a user-friendly interface, this web site provides answers to questions concerning all the vaccines recommended in Switzerland. It is run by InfoVac, a network of experts led by the Medical Faculty of Geneva University. For professionals, the site provides a list of past and present vaccines, fact sheets for distribution to patients, and all official related documents and recommendations. Furthermore, health-care professionals from Switzerland may register to receive rapid responses from experts on any vaccine-related questions as well as monthly newsletters. For the public, the site provides information (including brochures, photos and videos) on vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccines, and immunization. There is a comprehensive section dealing with vaccine safety concerns, which includes frequently asked questions followed by substantiated scientific answers. All statements on www.infovac.ch are reviewed weekly or as often as needed.

International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) IFFIm is a new multilateral development institution. The central aim of IFFIm is to help save more children's lives and to do so faster, in order to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. IFFIm has been designed to accelerate the availability of funds to be used for health and immunisation programmes through the GAVI Alliance (formerly the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation) in 70 of the poorest countries around the world. An anticipated IFFIm investment of US$4 billion is expected to help prevent five million child deaths between 2006 and 2015, and more than five million future adult deaths by protecting more than 500 million children in campaigns against measles, tetanus, and yellow fever.

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Int'l Organizations - M	back to top

Measles Initiative The Measles Initiative is a long-term commitment to control measles deaths in Africa by vaccinating 200 million children. Leading this effort are the American Red Cross, United Nations Foundation, CDC, WHO, and UNICEF. Other key players in the fight against measles include the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and countries and governments affected by measles.

Murcia Salud Language: Spanish Audience : health professionals and the public This website's aim is to be an essential source of scientific public health information for the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia (Spain). The vaccination section includes official vaccination schedules, publications of interest, information about vaccination campaigns and immunization coverage, links to other web sites of interest, and many Question & Answer pages on the history, concept, effectiveness and safety of vaccines. The Murcia Salud web site is maintained by the Regional Government of Murcia. The section related to vaccines is revised and updated by members of the Health Protection Service and the Immunization Programme of Murcia whenever necessary, and particularly when relevant scientific papers appear or when modifications to the Immunization Program are introduced. The web site is funded exclusively by the Regional Government of Murcia.

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Int'l Organizations - N	back to top

Network for Education and Support in Immunisation (NESI) Language: English and French Audience: governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations and training institutions for health professionals The Network for Education and Support in Immunisation (NESI) aims to improve the quality and sustainability of immunization programmes and services in low- and middle-income countries, particularly through education and training. NESI focuses on capacity building of: (a) teaching/training institutions (e.g. for nurses, doctors, pharmacists, public health workers, and other related professionals), mainly through improved pre-service training; and (b) of ministry of health managers and staff working within the Expanded Programme on Immunization. NESI activities are closely coordinated with those of the World Health Organization and other partners of the GAVI Alliance. Activities are implemented at national, inter-country, sub-regional and regional level, mainly in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region. There are plans to extend activities to Southern Asia. NESI is a public-private partnership between the University of Antwerp in Belgium and the private sector. The NESI web site includes resources for education, training and technical support, and workshop reports. It is updated on a quarterly basis.

Network Italiano dei Servizi di Vaccinazione (NIV) Language: Italian (with some links to English documents) Audience: members of the public and health-care professionals The aim of the website of the Italian Network of Vaccination Services (NIV) is to provide information on vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccine safety to both the general public and health-care professionals (in separate sections). The site was created with the dual purpose of answering parental concerns as well as offering a useful tool for health-care professionals involved in vaccination issues. Since 2001, the NIV has issued a weekly electronic newsletter that provides the abstracts of the latest scientific papers and other news on vaccination-related topics translated into Italian. Links are provided to the original abstract or full text article when available. The NIV was established in 2000 and represents a network of vaccination services of the Italian National Health System. The network is officially recognized by all of the regional governments in Italy.

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Int'l Organizations - P	back to top

Pan American Health Organization PAHO is an international public health agency working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas. It is part of the United Nations system, serving as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization, and as the health organization of the Inter-American System.

PATH's Vaccine Resource Library The Vaccine Resource Library offers a wide variety of high-quality, scientifically accurate documents and links on vaccine-preventable diseases and topics in immunization. In addition to resources developed at PATH, the library contains materials published by international leaders in public health, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the GAVI Alliance, and many others.

PneumoADIP An alliance of GAVI, the Vaccine Fund, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, PneumoADIP works to improve child survival and health by accelerating the evaluation of and access to new, lifesaving pneumococcal vaccines for the world's children. The organization publishes an online newsletter titled PneumoFocus.

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Int'l Organizations - R	back to top

Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies The American Red Cross works with a global network of Red Cross, Red Crescent, and equivalent societies to restore hope and dignity to the world's vulnerable people. The Red Cross is one of the sponsors of the Measles Initiative.

Rijksvaccinatieprogramma (RVP) Language: Dutch, with a summary in English Audience: members of the public and health-care professionals The Rijksvaccinatieprogramma (National Vaccination Programme of the Netherlands) was established by the Dutch Government in 1957. The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment advises and evaluates the programme. It also coordinates communication to the public and health-care professionals, in collaboration with the Netherlands Vaccine Institute and the National Society of Regional Vaccination Administrations. The objective of the programme is to protect all children from dangerous or deadly infectious diseases. The Government invites parents to have their children vaccinated through the national vaccination programme although participation is not obligatory. The web site was commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. It provides information on the benefit of vaccinations, how vaccines work, and possible adverse reactions. It also gives a description of the infectious diseases against which the RVP protects. In addition, the site includes a section with frequently asked questions and another about the history of the Dutch vaccination programme. Moreover, it contains links for more information

Robert Koch Institute Language: German, some background information available in English Audience: general public, health-care providers and political decision-makers The RKI web site on vaccination includes original articles on prevention programmes, vaccine safety, frequently asked questions, the importance of vaccination, vaccination coverage and recommendations by the Standing Committee on Vaccination at the Robert Koch Institute (STIKO). Disease-specific pages provide additional information on vaccine-preventable diseases. Visitors can access more information through links provided. The Robert Koch Institute is the German federal institution responsible for disease control and prevention.

Rotary International Rotary is an international organization of business and professional leaders. In 1985, Rotary International launched PolioPlus, a commitment to eradicate polio. For more information about the PolioPlus program, click here or email: polioplus@rotaryintl.org.

Rotavirus Vaccine Program The mission of the Rotavirus Vaccine Program is to reduce child morbidity and mortality from diarrheal disease by accelerating the availability of rotavirus vaccines appropriate for use in developing countries. PATH established the program in 2003, with funding from GAVI and the Vaccine Fund. The program works in partnership with CDC and WHO.

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Int'l Organizations - S	back to top

Safe Injection Global Network SIGN is composed of U.N. organizations, nongovernmental organizations, governments, donors, and universities sharing a common interest in a safe and appropriate use of injections with the intent to prevent the adverse effects of unsafe injection practices. SIGNpost is a weekly, electronic mail newsletter about safe and appropriate use of injections. To access, go to: www.who.int/injection_safety/newsletter/SIGNPost/en

Siemprevacunados Language: Spanish and Catalan Audience: health-care professionals and members of the public, especially residents of Spain Siemprevacunados.org is a web site of the Medical Association of Barcelona (COMB). It is funded by COMB and the European Commission project, Vaccine Safety - Attitudes, Training and Communication (VACSATC). It has the objective of providing useful information on immunization. The site includes official vaccination schedules and recommendations and links to other resources of interest. The Medical Association of Barcelona promotes research and development in fields such as ethics, quality of health information and new communication technologies.

South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC) Language: English Audience: health officials, health-care workers, scientists, academics and the vaccine industry. The South African Vaccination and Immunisation Centre (SAVIC) was established in 2003 as a network of partners in the field of vaccination, immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases, and is an academic-public alliance between the University of Limpopo, Medunsa Campus, and the University of Antwerp, Belgium, with the South African Department of Health. The mission of SAVIC is to improve the health of future generations by strengthening immunization programmes and services. In order to achieve this, SAVIC advocates improved education and training in the fields of vaccination, immunization programmes and services, and the dissemination of information on the epidemiology of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), nationally and abroad.

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Int'l Organizations - U	back to top

United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF's immunization information can be accessed on their "Immunization Plus" web page at: www.unicef.org/immunization/index.html

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Int'l Organizations - V	back to top

Vaccine Page The Vaccine Page has links to vaccine sites (both national and international), journals, and immunization advocacy organizations.

Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board VHPB is an independent, international, multi-disciplinary group of experts working to focus attention on the importance of viral hepatitis and on how to prevent it. Fact sheets, reports, articles, and the publication Viral Hepatitis can be accessed from the website.

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Int'l Organizations - W	back to top

World Health Organization The World Health Organization, the United Nations specialized agency for health, was established on April 7, 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals can be accessed at: www.who.int/immunization/en; WHO's vaccine topic page at: www.who.int/health_topics/vaccines/en; and WHO's position papers on specific vaccines can be accessed at: www.who.int/immunization/documents/positionpapers_intro/en/index.html Also, read the WHO's Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) at www.who.int/wer

This page was reviewed on January 25, 2008