TY - JOUR T1 - Addressing disruptions in childhood routine immunisation services during the COVID-19 pandemic: perspectives from Nepal, Senegal and Liberia JF - BMJ Global Health JO - BMJ Global Health DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2021-005031 VL - 6 IS - 7 SP - e005031 AU - Sameer M Dixit AU - Moussa Sarr AU - Daouda M Gueye AU - Kyle Muther AU - T Ruston Yarnko AU - Robert A Bednarczyk AU - Adolphus T Clarke AU - Fatoumata Diakhite AU - Aliou Diallo AU - Bonheur Dounebaine AU - Shankar B Duwadi AU - Anna S Ellis AU - Nancy Fullman AU - Nathaniel Gerthe AU - Jhalak S Gautam AU - Kyra A Hester AU - Gloria Ikilezi AU - Rokhaya S Mbengue AU - Souleymane Mboup AU - Birahim P Ndiaye AU - Rajesh Man Rajbhandari AU - David E Phillips AU - Matthew C Freeman Y1 - 2021/07/01 UR - http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/7/e005031.abstract N2 - Summary boxWhile routine immunisation (RI) was among the health services most affected during the earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, country programmes employed various mitigation strategies to maintain vaccine delivery and/or resume interrupted programming.Perspectives from Nepal, Senegal and Liberia highlight six key components of addressing COVID-19’s effects on RI during the earlier phases of the pandemic: (1) prioritising continued services with strengthened infection prevention control; (2) engaging in effective communications and mobilisation activities, especially to offset misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines; (3) identifying alternative locations and approaches to providing vaccine services (eg, conducting door-to-door vaccination if facility-based services were not possible); (4) instituting infection prevention controls and physical distancing measures (and adapting service provision accordingly); (5) setting up systems and strategies for reaching children who missed doses amid periods of disruption; and (6) conducting catch-up campaigns as soon as SARS-CoV-2 transmission risks can be minimised.The ways in which COVID-19 has affected RI services have varied over time and across settings, underscoring the importance of contextually tailored mitigation efforts and adaptation, given evolving challenges amid an ongoing pandemic.As countries roll out COVID-19 vaccines, it will be vital to avoid one-size-fits-all implementation strategies and to support the continuance of RI services through this next phase of COVID-19 response.RI emerged as one the most disrupted health services in early-2020 to mid-2020,1 a global systems shock associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, an estimated 80 million children were thought to be affected by interrupted vaccination services and campaigns,2 and over 60% of 105 countries reported at least partial RI disruptions to WHO.1 If left unaddressed, these disruptions are poised to halt or even reverse decades of global progress achieved in vaccine delivery and child health.3 4Yet with great challenges can come great opportunity: knowledge and … ER -