Order Description
Assignment 3: Report to a National Immunisation Technical
Advisory Committee (NITAC)
Monitoring and evaluation of immunisation programs are essential for determining whether the
program is a success in reaching the target population and controlling disease. This final
assessment aims to provide students with an opportunity to consolidate their learning and
demonstrate the synthesis of concepts from this course. This assessment will require an
interpretation of the complex country- and disease-specific issues related to the
implementation and evaluation of immunisation programs.
This assessment will be in the form or a structured report to submit to a National Immunisation
Technical Advisory Group addressing the specific tasks outlined below.
You need to base your report on one of the four options below. Each reflects different
immunisation programs implemented in different countries. These are programs that have
already been introduced in the countries specified. You should pick only one of the options for
your assignment.
Table 1: Immunisation program and country options for Assessment 3
Option Program Country (I choose no. 1 HPV for male)
1 HPV for males Australia
2 Meningococcal B United Kingdom
3 Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants One GAVI-eligible country
Report components:
Once you have chosen one of the three options, you will need to describe the following
components for the country-specific immunisation program you have selected.
You should start your report with a short (<200 words) introduction, which introduces the
disease, vaccine and chosen country. You should end with a short conclusion (<200 words)
which summarises the key findings of your evaluation.
1. The rationale for inclusion of the vaccine on the NIP in your chosen country
Describe key policy information that supports the program introduction in relation to the
disease, the vaccine and the feasibility of the program in the chosen country.
2. Program delivery
Describe the implementation strategy used for your chosen vaccine in your chosen country
which includes the rationale for the routine age group and any catch-up requirements. You
should comment on the goals of the program, and the strengths and limitations of the
implementation strategy used for your chosen vaccine in the chosen country.
3. Monitoring program outcomes and impacts.
Describe how the outcomes and impact of the program are monitored. Provide a critical
assessment of the strengths and limitations of the available surveillance systems in the
chosen country in monitoring outcomes and impact specific to the chosen vaccine-preventable
disease. More than simply describing the results, critically appraise the outcomes and impact
of the program in the chosen country using data from the country?s coverage, adverse events
and disease surveillance systems.
4. Future considerations for the program
Considering the evidence described in the previous sections, comment on the vaccine- and
country-specific issues that may arise as the program matures (i.e. continues over time).
Depending on the vaccine and setting, this could include (but is not limited to) emerging
evidence such as waning immunity and the potential for schedule changes, serotype
replacement, adapting surveillance methods to the changing epidemiology, or the
sustainability of the immunisation program.
Guidance
This is an individual assessment task that requires to you to critically appraise data from your
chosen country, the peer-reviewed literature, reports from government and international
agencies and other relevant grey literature to support your argument, and applying relevant
knowledge from this course.
? You should include information that demonstrates your understanding of the key
principles of each component that is broadly applicable to the implementation and
evaluation of immunisation programs in general.
? You need to go beyond simply summarising findings from your sources, but show
strong evidence of being able to synthesise and critically interpret the findings from
multiple sources and apply them in the context of your chosen option.
? Information to guide your answers to this assignment have been provided in lectures
and the pre-readings and additional resources in your course notes.
? Your submission should be prepared in the form of a report and use the headings
provided above to improve clarity and readability.
Literature review
To complete this task you will need to review a substantial number of peer-reviewed scientific
publications and reports from governmental or international agencies (e.g. WHO, GAVI). It is
expected that you include at least 10 sources in your reference list. However, distinction/high
distinction level assessments will typically have 20 or more references. It is important that you
locate and review the primary source of the cited information.
Word count
The total word count for the report is 2,500 words excluding references. Your word count
should be provided on the front page. Exceeding the word limit by more than 10% may be
subject to penalty. There are no word limits for the individual components but we suggest you
aim for a similar word count in each.
It is important that you answer all components and in our experience you will not be able to do
this effectively unless your total word count is near the recommended limit.
The use of tables and figures is not encouraged unless it adds value to your report and you
provide a critical interpretation of the table/figure in your report.
Assessment criteria
Written feedback based on course learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria will be
provided. Submission will be via Turnitin. See the section on Submitting your assignment
below for more information. This assessment task will be marked on the basis of the extent to
which the criteria in Table 2 below are addressed.
You will receive a mark that reflects the overall quality of the work you have submitted for
assessment across the four criteria shown. Your mark will be out of 45.
disease. More than simply describing the results, critically appraise the outcomes and impact
of the program in the chosen country using data from the country?s coverage, adverse events
and disease surveillance systems.
4. Future considerations for the program
Considering the evidence described in the previous sections, comment on the vaccine- and
country-specific issues that may arise as the program matures (i.e. continues over time).
Depending on the vaccine and setting, this could include (but is not limited to) emerging
evidence such as waning immunity and the potential for schedule changes, serotype
replacement, adapting surveillance methods to the changing epidemiology, or the
sustainability of the immunisation program.
Guidance
This is an individual assessment task that requires to you to critically appraise data from your
chosen country, the peer-reviewed literature, reports from government and international
agencies and other relevant grey literature to support your argument, and applying relevant
knowledge from this course.
? You should include information that demonstrates your understanding of the key
principles of each component that is broadly applicable to the implementation and
evaluation of immunisation programs in general.
? You need to go beyond simply summarising findings from your sources, but show
strong evidence of being able to synthesise and critically interpret the findings from
multiple sources and apply them in the context of your chosen option.
? Information to guide your answers to this assignment have been provided in lectures
and the pre-readings and additional resources in your course notes.
? Your submission should be prepared in the form of a report and use the headings
provided above to improve clarity and readability.
Literature review
To complete this task you will need to review a substantial number of peer-reviewed scientific
publications and reports from governmental or international agencies (e.g. WHO, GAVI). It is
expected that you include at least 10 sources in your reference list. However, distinction/high
distinction level assessments will typically have 20 or more references. It is important that you
locate and review the primary source of the cited information.
Word count
The total word count for the report is 2,500 words excluding references. Your word count
should be provided on the front page. Exceeding the word limit by more than 10% may be
subject to penalty. There are no word limits for the individual components but we suggest you
aim for a similar word count in each.
It is important that you answer all components and in our experience you will not be able to do
this effectively unless your total word count is near the recommended limit.
The use of tables and figures is not encouraged unless it adds value to your report and you
provide a critical interpretation of the table/figure in your report.
Assessment criteria
Written feedback based on course learning outcomes and specific assessment criteria will be
provided. Submission will be via Turnitin. See the section on Submitting your assignment
below for more information. This assessment task will be marked on the basis of the extent to
which the criteria in Table 2 below are addressed.
You will receive a mark that reflects the overall quality of the work you have submitted for
assessment across the four criteria shown.
