NCIRS experts provide vaccine safety training to Timor-Leste health professionals

Earlier this week, an expert team from NCIRS travelled to Dili, Timor-Leste, to facilitate a Vaccine Safety Workshop as part of ongoing capacity building of the National Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) of Timor-Leste (TL). Workshop participants included members of the NITAG-TL and a range of other senior health professionals from the Timor-Leste Ministry of Health. 

The workshop – led by NCIRS Director, Professor Kristine Macartney, Associate Director, Clinical Services and Vaccine Safety Associate Professor Nick Wood and AusVaxSafety Clinical Lead, Dr Lucy Deng, with support from NCIRS Public Health physicians, Dr Sarah Sheridan and Dr Teem-Wing Yip – guided participants through seven different modules to enhance their understanding of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI).

Workshop participants discussed different aspects of vaccine safety, including how to respond to AEFI, the importance of AEFI surveillance and reporting, and continued implementation of vaccine safety activities in Timor-Leste. 

NCIRS continues to support capacity building of the Timor-Leste NITAG, under funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The recent workshop builds on a previous AEFI workshop delivered by Australian experts in February 2020: Strengthening surveillance and assessment of causality of AEFIs in Timor-Leste.

The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Health Timor-Leste, World Health Organization Country office for Timor-Leste, and NITAG-TL with support from NCIRS, Gavi, and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.