Immunizations for the Protection of the Public Health is a 10-week course which will provide students with an understanding of vaccine development and immunization policy. The Course Objectives are to understand:

1. The impact vaccines have made on the public health.

2. The development, composition, testing and use of vaccines.

3. The regulatory imperatives for vaccine production.

4. The factors that affect the availability, supply, delivery and administration of vaccines.

5. The balance of vaccine safety and vaccine efficacy.

6. The impact of health economics on the availability and use of vaccines.

7. That public health objectives may differ substantially from the objectives of other stake holders.

8. The development and implementation of immunization policy.

The course will be taught in lecture and small-group discussion formats. There will be a limited number of expert lecturers. There will be assigned reading in preparation for each session. Most sessions will be 1 1/2 hours, one hour of lecture and ½ hour discussion. Course performance will be determined by participation in discussion and take home midterm & final examinations.

Course Outline

Introduction:                                                                                                     

1. The prevention of disease using vaccines

2. Vaccine preventable diseases in the era of immunizations

3. Vaccines are only one component of public health policy

4. Vaccines are a complex mixture of ingredients

5. Vaccine development and pre-clinical testing: A vaccine for genital herpes

Vaccine safety and regulation:

6. Getting to licensure can be a complex process

7. Licensure of vaccines for animals

8. Vaccine mis-adventures

9. The biology of adverse events

10. The complexity of establishing efficacy/effectiveness

11. Missing information, misinformation and disinformation: Thimerosal, a case study.

12. The balance between vaccine efficacy and vaccine safety

13. What are the acceptable severities & frequencies for adverse events?

14. What constitutes the appropriate balance between risk & benefit?  Rhesus Rotavirus Vaccine & Intussusception, a case study.

Vaccine economics:

15. Once it’s been licensed, then what?

16. Vaccine economics

17. Challenges to vaccine availability

18. Epidemiology of Rift Valley Fever Virus and prospects for its control with vaccine

Animal vaccines:

19. Animal vaccines to prevent zoonotic infections of humans

20. Vaccines to prevent diseases of livestock

Vaccines & public health policy:

21. Setting vaccine policy

22. Responding to a rapidly emerging infectious disease

23. National & international responses to outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases

24. Identifying & containing disease outbreaks – the local response

25. Implementing vaccine recommendations

Developing vaccines for the future:

26. Issues associated with adolescent vaccine acceptability

27. Vaccine delivery systems

28. Vaccines for the future

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