Supporting Countries with Vaccine Prioritization and Optimization

As countries face an increasingly challenging global health environment, the decision of how to optimize their national immunization portfolios and which vaccines to add, and in what order, can be a complicated one. JSI has helped shape global vaccine guidance for over 30 years and has supported over 20 countries with their national immunization programs.

Channeling this experience alongside strong partnership and coordination with other global immunization experts and working groups, JSI led the CHOICES 2.0, which provided support to National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) and Expanded/National Programs for Immunization (EPI or NIP) to conduct new vaccine introduction prioritization for their immunization programs using the New Vaccine Introduction Prioritization and Sequencing Toolkit (NVI-PST). The project also engaged with relevant stakeholders at the global and Africa regional levels to inform and guide the Vaccine Prioritization and Optimization (VPOP) processes as they evolved, including the Global NITAG Network.

The NVI-PST

The NVI-PST was developed based on a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach and country learning. It was developed by Development Catalysts in collaboration with the original CHOICES project, which was led by the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) and supported by JSI, US CDC, and Development Catalysts, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and Global NITAG Network partners.

• Watch the introduction video.
• Learn more about the NVI-PST and optimization toolkit (including the eLearning facilitator module developed under CHOICES 2.0).

Country Workshops

The CHOICES 2.0 project worked to expand access to the NVI-PST toolkit in 2025 and 2026 through a series of in-person and virtual workshops with Gavi-eligible countries that requested engagement or agreed to participate upon invitation from CHOICES 2.0 leadership. The workshops were convened by NITAGs to prioritize and/or optimize their national immunization program systematically. Across CHOICES and CHOICES 2.0, JSI and our partners supported seven countries through these workshops.

• Learn more about our workshop process and results.
• Read about Ethiopia’s experience with the prioritization process.

Webinar Series

To reach more countries beyond the workshops, the project worked with National Immunization Technical Advisory Group Support Hub (NISH) at the University of Cape Town and the World Health Organization (WHO) to host a five-part webinar series titled Applying Vaccine Prioritization Strategies for Optimized Public Health Outcomes. This series included expertise from NISH, JSI, WHO, UNICEF, and NITAG representatives. It provided NITAG members and EPI representatives with an overview of the new vaccine prioritization process, an introduction to the NVI-PST, and the newly developed Optimization Module, sessions on the tools’ methodologies and real-world examples, and a discussion on how the tools complement other decision-support resources.​ With participants representing NITAG members across 19 countries, offering this support virtually enabled broader access to these tools while simultaneously fostering cross-country learning and experience sharing.

• Read more on our virtual series methodologies and findings.
• View the webinar series recordings and related materials on NISH’s website.

The Future of New Vaccine Prioritization and Optimization

Through on-the-ground and virtual convenings, JSI supported over 20 countries as they honed their prioritization and optimization plans for new vaccine introductions via both the CHOICES and the CHOICES 2.0 project. While some countries have dedicated resources to continue this process independently, many countries seek further epidemiological and disease burden data and vaccine market and performance data (from their own and/or similar countries and settings) to inform their decisions. As countries face even greater funding constraints, continuously emerging infectious disease threats and patterns, new vaccine innovations, and a polycrisis of economic and social conditions, this dedicated practice is increasingly important.

It takes dedicated time and collaboration across programs and stakeholders to gather evidence, conduct analysis, and finalize prioritization and optimization recommendations effectively. Most NITAG members serve on a volunteer basis and already have other full-time commitments. In response to the funding and human resource limitations many NITAGs face, CHOICES 2.0 provided administrative and technical support and facilitation, cultivated political buy-in for experts to dedicate the time needed to continue this vital work, and complementary financial support where needed. An enabling environment must continue to be supported by the Ministries of Health and immunization programs, global VPOP technical working group, Global NITAG Network, and resource partners as countries are to routinely update their prioritization and optimization plans.