Why the STOP Program Matters

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Key points

  • STOP consultants work where they are needed most.
  • STOP activities help prevent, detect, and respond to vaccine-preventable disease threats.
Girl receiving an oral vaccine

Working where risk is highest

STOP consultants work where they are needed most.

Each year about 150 STOP consultants serve in 30 countries.

The STOP Program supports countries with the most unvaccinated children and communities at risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease.

These countries have:

  • EndemicA or local transmissionB of vaccine-preventable diseases that puts children and communities at risk
  • Large numbers of under- and unvaccinated children
  • A shortage of skilled public health staff available to fully support immunization and surveillance activities

STOP Program consultants are also deployed to mitigate the risk of large or disruptive vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks.

See Also Story from the field – Vaccinating at-risk children in the Philippines

Helping countries stop diseases

Perspective from a STOP consultant

"We are closer than ever to eradicating polio together, and I hope that we can apply the lessons learned from that journey to achieve future comprehensive public health objectives with a focus on the most marginalized and disadvantaged." – Jalaa A. Abdelwahab, STOP 11

STOP consultants are critical in helping countries prevent, detect, and respond to vaccine-preventable diseases.

STOP Program investments build country capacity to improve the health and well-being of communities through essential immunization programs and targeted vaccination campaigns.

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Story from the field – Making measurable impacts

Responding to outbreaks and emerging threats

Six men sit across from one another outdoors in front of a tree while two men stand near a table with a blue cooler on top. A man holding a packet of paper and a pen is talking.
STOP consultants meet ahead of a vaccination campaign.

When outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like polio, measles, rubella, and yellow fever arise, STOP consultants provide critical assistance to countries working to address them.

STOP consultants help countries address emerging threats like Ebola and COVID-19. Through in-country support, consultants help reduce the impact of outbreaks allowing countries to concentrate on other health priorities.

Stories from the field

Vaccinating at-risk children in the Philippines

At the end of 2020, the STOP Program sent 12 STOP consultants to the Philippines. Consultants assisted with an immunization campaign to vaccinate more than 9 million children against measles and rubella. The campaign also vaccinated more than 7 million against polio. Consultants supported campaign implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and routine immunization system strengthening.

Making measurable impacts

In just a five-month period, from August to December 2021, STOP Program participants led the following activities:

  • Trained a total of 161,035 healthcare staff through supportive supervision (on-the-job training, sensitization, mentorship, and formal group training)
  • Supported a total of 17,288 health facilities through both in-person and remote supervision of healthcare staff
  • Spent a total of 170,610 hours working as a STOP consultant, averaging 45 hours per week and sometimes spending up to 120 hours a week working on vaccine-preventable diseases and other health programs
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Content Source:
Global Immunization
  1. "Endemic" refers to diseases that are consistently present within a geographic area.
  2. "Local transmission" happens when a person who has not traveled gets infected with a disease where they live, work, or play.