Georgetown, Guyana, 21 October 2026. The Ministry of Health of Guyana, with technical support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and external partners, including The Task Force for Global Health (TFGH), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has conducted a post-introduction evaluation of the influenza vaccine to assess its implementation, identify lessons learned, and inform strategies to strengthen the national immunization program.
The influenza vaccine was introduced in Guyana in September 2025, targeting priority groups including older adults, people with comorbidities, pregnant women, health care workers, and children. This evaluation provided an opportunity to review the introduction and implementation of this vaccine into the immunization schedule in Guyana and to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities to improve the delivery and sustainability of the influenza vaccination program in Guyana.
The evaluation included visits and interviews with key informants at national, regional, and local levels to review and assess programmatic areas including regulatory readiness; program planning, coordination, and service delivery; program cost and financing; supply chain and waste management; human resources and training; vaccine demand generation; vaccine safety; monitoring and evaluation; supervision; and surveillance. The evaluation also focused on data quality, reporting and use for guiding vaccination activities.
Post-introduction evaluations are an important tool for countries to assess the impact of newly introduced vaccines into the immunization program and to identify practical measures to improve program performance. The findings can inform evidence-based decisions, strengthen the current immunization system, and support equitable access to vaccines for populations at risk of developing complications.
The findings and recommendations from the evaluation will help guide future efforts to strengthen influenza vaccination in Guyana and support broader regional objectives to improve immunization coverage, enhance preparedness for respiratory disease threats, and protect population health.
