Measles and rubella surveillance and monitoring vaccination coverage in countries with complex health care systems

The WHO Regional Office for Europe and the French Ministry of Health co hosted a meeting in Paris, 20-21 September 2004, whose objectives were to provide a forum for countries in Western Europe and North America with more complex health systems to exchange experiences, best practices and methods for laboratory surveillance and the measurement of vaccine coverage. The meeting was attended by 44 persons from 15 countries and representatives from WHO Geneva and the regional offices in Europe and the Americas. Eighteen recommendations were developed in the areas of: 1) Vaccination coverage measurement, 2) Unvaccinated or hard-to-convince populations, 3) Laboratory investigation of measles/rubella cases: patient and primary health care physician issues, and 4) Laboratory-supported surveillance: laboratory network and surveillance strategy. The recommendations are intended for use by WHO and Member States of the WHO European Region to assist them in meeting the 2010 objectives for measles and rubella in the WHO European Region.