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Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the leading viral cause of disability in Asia. The mosquitoes that transmit JE breed in areas of standing water, such as rice paddies, making rural communities of Asia particularly vulnerable. Immunization is the best method to prevent JE, but control efforts have been hindered by inadequate disease surveillance, limited/unstable vaccine supply, variable guidance and programmatic support, and competing country/state priorities. Over the past several years, focused efforts from PATH and other partners have improved the landscape of JE control across the country.In 2006, the government launched the Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine (JEV) campaign, rolling out a successful program within eight months. Over nine million children were able to receive JEV ahead of the JE season in India. This proved to be a landmark year for India’s rural population after decades of suffering from recurring JE outbreaks.This document details the phased JEV campaign across select endemic districts of Bihar, followed by the introduction of JEV in the routine immunization schedule and the lessons learned for strengthening immunization program all across.

The need for sexual and reproductive health services have become all the more critical with the ongoing political crisis in Myanmar. COVID 19-related restrictions and the political situation in Myanmar have both impacted maternal health services, and family planning in the public sector. To reduce maternal mortality and morbidity amongst low-income and conflict-affected populations of Myanmar, PATH has been supporting the government in guideline developments, integration of family planning innovations, technical support for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) policy, cervical cancer guidelines for service providers, and operational plans for cervical cancer prevention. PATH has contributed to Myanmar's first combined RMNCAH strategic plan, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, we adapted our program approach to Primary Health Care (PHC) as the express way to achieving Universal Health Coverage. In this brief, we talk about reduced health service gaps and the increase in the use of affordable, quality, reproductive health products by women and families, and how they reduce maternal mortality and morbidity.

In 2021, the Tanzania Ministry of Health, with support from PATH Tanzania, conducted a survey of health management information system (HMIS) focal people throughout Tanzania, and key informant interviews in targeted regions. The assessment was intended to document the data use practices supported by the District Health Profiles (DHP), and determine whether DHPs have facilitated data use at the council level, including how DHPs are being used to make decisions related to annual planning, and develop the annual comprehensive council health plans.Thee Tanzanian Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC) adopted a cross-sectional, mixed-methods approach for this assessment, applying qualitative and quantitative data-collection methods. MOHCDGEC used purposive and convenience sampling methods to recruit participants for the assessment. For the qualitative component of the assessment, MOHCDGEC mainly used key informant interviews (KIIs) with select national level staff and council level staff from six selected councils, as well as observation and document reviews, to gather findings. For the quantitative component, MOHCDGEC used online questionnaires disseminated to health management information systems focal people in all 184 councils in Tanzania.The assessment showed that majority of participants in both study groups (council level and national level respondents for KIIs and health management information system focal people for the surveys) acknowledged that there was demand for DHPs in decision-making meetings. The main users of DHPs were found to be members of council health management team (CHMT), and other users included development partners, councilors and research institutions. The assessment found that the primary uses for DHPs were to identify health problems and gaps, aid planning and budgeting, support district showcasing, identify disease trends, and aid in decision making. Despite the reported demand and the various uses for DHPs that respondents named, the findings also pointed to the perception that most of the councils were not allocating budgets for DHP preparation, production, and dissemination. The study also showed that the majority of CHMT members had never received any DHP training. The most common methods used to sensitize stakeholders to DHPs and make them aware of the existence of and potential uses for DHPs, were meetings, workshops, and seminars. The assessment findings also showed that the majority of councils were not producing the DHPs on time. Finally, the assessment respondents reported that the main challenges to using data from DHPs were lack of budget allocated for DHPs, difficulty in finding data due to changes in administration area, low commitment of stakeholders, low DHP priority, low data quality from data sources, and inadequate resources for the development and dissemination of DHPs.

Medical devices are a critical but often overlooked component for effective facility-based care, especially for women and children. Many medical devices have unique characteristics that make them difficult to manage effectively, particularly in low-resource settings. For instance, some devices can serve multiple clinical uses across different health programs—complicating ownership and funding responsibilities. They can sometimes require extensive training, ongoing preventive maintenance, and a reliable supply of specialized parts and accessories.This fact sheet offers an overview of the Scaling Access to Lifesaving Equipment (SCALE) project—which builds on previous research and initiatives under Market Dynamics for Medical Devices. Through this project, PATH will identify and test promising new business and operating models, while strengthening the underlying systems for managing all durable medical devices and equipment. With a vision that patients should have reliable access to device-related health services, this project seeks to ensure medical devices are available and functional in sufficient quantities across health facilities.

Microarray patch (MAP) technologies can address the need for improved presentations of vaccines. The PATH Center of Excellence for MAP Technology is advancing MAP development for high priority needs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The development of a vaccine MAP depends on a number of technical, clinical, regulatory, and commercialization factors. To aid in selecting an appropriate antigen, this document overviews key antigen qualities that impact the likelihood of successful technical development for a vaccine MAP.