Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40046111›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2025

Evaluation of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) of middle-income countries in the WHO European Region; a synopsis.

Wiebe Külper-Schiek, Liudmila Mosina, Lisa A Jacques-Carroll, Annika Falman, Thomas Harder, Eduard Kakarriqi, Iria Preza, Arman Badalyan, Gayane Sahakyan, Oxana Romanova and 14 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Wiebe Külper-SchiekInfectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Liudmila MosinaWHO Regional Office for Europe, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases & Immunization, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Lisa A Jacques-CarrollWHO Regional Office for Europe, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases & Immunization, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Annika FalmanInfectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Thomas HarderInfectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Eduard KakarriqiEpidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases Department, Institute of Public Health of Albania, Tirana, Albania.
Iria PrezaWHO Country Office for Albania, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases & Immunization, Tirana, Albania.
Arman BadalyanDepartment of Epidemiology, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia.
Gayane SahakyanNational Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia.
Oxana RomanovaDepartment of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Belarus State Medical University, Minsk, Belarus.
Veronika ShimanovichLaboratory of Quality Control of Immunobiological Medicines, Republican Research and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Minsk, Belarus.
Sanjin MusaDepartment of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Institute for Public Health of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dinagul BayeshevaDepartment of Children's Infectious Diseases, Astana Medical University, Astana, Kazakhstan.
Nurshay AzimbayevaVaccine Preventable Disease Control Unit of the Sanitary - Epidemiology Control Committee, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan.
Zuridin NurmatovNational Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Vera ToigombaevaDepartment of General and Clinical Epidemiology, Kyrgyz State Medical Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Ninel RevencoDepartment of Pediatrics, State University of Medicine and Pharmaceutics "Nicolae Testemiţanu", Chisinau, Moldova.
Veaceslav GutuDepartment of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, National Agency for Public Health of Moldova, Chisinau, Moldova.
Ljiljana Markovic-DenicFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Epidemiology University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Branka Bonaci-NikolicFaculty of Medicine, Institute for Epidemiology University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
Dilorom TursunovaCommittee for Sanitary-Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health of Republic of Uzbekistan, Immunization and Logistics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Nigora TadzhiyevaDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Tashkent Medical Academy, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Ole WichmannInfectious Disease Epidemiology, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
Siddhartha Sankar DattaWHO Regional Office for Europe, Vaccine-Preventable Diseases & Immunization, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Funding

World Health Organization 001
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: A National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) provides independent guidance to Ministries of Health (MoH) and policymakers, enabling them to make informed decisions on national immunization policies and practices. As of 2022, 50 of the 53 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region (the Region) had established a NITAG, with 58% of all NITAGs and 66% of those in middle-income countries (MICs) in the Region meeting all six WHO process indicators of NITAG functionality. However, many newly established NITAGs in MICs in the Region experience challenges in terms of their functioning, structure, and outputs. Methods: To address these challenges and achieve the goal of evidence-informed decision making on immunizations, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) implemented a project to strengthen the functioning of MIC NITAGs of the Region through comprehensive evaluations of nine NITAGs and development and implementation of improvement plans. Results: All evaluated NITAGs are formally established and complete the most important aspects of NITAG functioning. The main challenge for all NITAGs is the lack of a well-staffed Secretariat to establish annual workplans and develop NITAG recommendations following a standardized process. Discussion: The evaluation identified NITAGs' strengths and challenges. Some challenges have been addressed through improvement plan implementation. WHO and RKI will continue to evaluate NITAGs and support development and implementation of improvement plans. WHO and NITAG partners will continue to provide training on the standardized recommendation-making process and advocate increased MoH support to NITAGs, including dedicated Secretariat staff.

Indexed as

Advisory CommitteesDeveloping CountriesImmunizationImmunization ProgramsEuropeHealth PolicyHumansWorld Health Organizationevaluationevidence-based decision makingimmunizationimmunization policymiddle-income countriesNational Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG)vaccinationWorld Health Organization

Identifiers

PMID40046111
PMCPMC11881447

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.