Title: Introduction
Course: Level 3 - Immunization

Immunisation is one of the most accepted and cost-effective healthcare practices worldwide. Vaccines prevent illness and death from more than a dozen serious diseases and have fewer direct medical costs than the treatment of these diseases. More than two to three million lives are saved only by immunisation in the world annually.

Health care providers, particularly Health Extension Workers, play a major role in achieving immunisation coverage levels and reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunisation is one of the best opportunities vaccine providers have to promote health and prevent disease for clients, families and communities. Health care providers have a key role as vaccine providers, educators and advocates for immunisation.

In Ethiopia, currently, vaccines against diseases like tuberculosis, measles, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, pneumonia and meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenza type b, hepatitis b, and diarrhoea caused by rotavirus are available in the Expanded Program on Immunisation.

This module will help you acquire the knowledge, skills and right attitudes for planning and efficient and effective implementation of the immunisation programs. You will learn about Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), and how body defence mechanism works. You will also learn the type, route and site of administration, contraindication, and adverse effects of each antibacterial and antiviral vaccines in the routine Ethiopian EPI program. Vaccine potency is the basic determinant factor in immunisation so that you will be given a detail information on how to ensure the vaccine potency until you provide to the clients by keeping at a good temperature and appropriate vaccine supply and stock management. Planning and monitoring immunisation program are one major area of focus in this module. The importance of communication with parents and community leaders about the benefits of immunising infants aged under one year and women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years) is emphasised throughout this Module. You will also learn about the effective organisation of immunisation activities at your Health Post, in outreach sites, and in mobile teams. The ability to deliver improved immunisation coverage rates and reduced levels of dropout from immunisation programs also requires excellent record-keeping and thorough monitoring and evaluation of the outcomes of your activities.

The role of Health Extension Workers in the Expanded Program on Immunization is significant. Therefore, this module will help you play your indispensable role in protecting children, women and community in general from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Most of the content of this module is extracted from level IV Health Extension practitioners training program module and tailored for the level three training program.