First Sub-regional Meeting of EPI Program Managers

Kingston, Jamaica, 14-18 September 1981

As an introduction to this Sub-Regional Meeting of National EPI Managers, it is important to recall the purposes of the program which have been stated in different documents on the subject:

1. To reduce morbidity and mortality from diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles, poliomyelitis and tuberculosis by providing immunization against these diseases for every child in the world until 1990.
2. To promote self-sufficiency in the provision of immunization services in the context of comprehensive health care services.
3. To promote regional self-sufficiency in the production and quality control of the vaccines needed for the program.

The proceedings will be conducted in what are referred to as nominal groups in which the several members first do individual work, and then come together tor interacting as a group, and arrive at a final consensus on their results....