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Sabin The World Blog

SIF update: Parliamentary briefing in Cambodia

Devendra Gnawali, Sustainable Immunization Financing (SIF) senior program office, provides an update on SIF activities in Cambodia.

A Sabin-sponsored parliamentary briefing was held at the National Assembly of Cambodia on February 21st. Participants included Ministers of Parliament (MPs) from the health committee and officials from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Ministry of Economy and Finance. Cambodia is making progress on many SIF issues, and two of them, the drafting process of the new immunization law and the national trust fund, were discussed during the briefing. Oral presentations were made by the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) manager and the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Chairperson of the Health Committee of the National Assembly stated their full support for SIF activities and urged the MoH to draft the immunization law. A discussion was also had about organizing a follow-up 2nd round provincial level parliamentary briefing in the near future.

Keeping up with dengue

The World Health Organization recently estimated that over 40 percent of the world’s population is now at risk for dengue, a mosquito-born viral infection that can develop into a potentially lethal complication called severe dengue. As a result, dengue has become a major international public health concern. However, dengue cases are often underreported and monitoring incidents of the disease is challenging. That’s why companies, governmental organizations and concerned citizens are coming up with innovative ways to track dengue outbreaks.

Uganda parliament forms core immunization group

By Mike McQuestion, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Director, Sustainable Immunization Financing

7 Feb Kampala, Uganda - Ten members of parliament (MPs) from the Ugandan National Assembly met today for a Sabin-sponsored briefing on the country's immunization financing. Following a presentation by Sabin Senior Program Officer Diana Kizza Mugenzi, participants discussed advocacy and legislative strategies and agreed to form a core group that will create a parliamentary immunization forum. The MPs will assess immunization program performance in their home districts.