A mass vaccination campaign is the most effective public health strategy to control yellow fever outbreaks. It helps to limit the spread of the disease and so reduces mortality; however, in an emergency situation it is often difficult to get enough vaccine doses to protect the entire population at risk. In December 2005, the GAVI board approved the "Yellow Fever vaccine stockpile investment case", increasing significantly its support to reduce the risk of yellow fever epidemics until 2013.
The stockpile is managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision for Yellow Fever Control (YF-ICG) created in 2001. The YF-ICG consists of representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, serves as its Secretariat. The role of the YF-ICG is to verify that eligibility criteria are met by countries applying for outbreak support from the stockpile and to decide on the amount of vaccine to be shipped according to the needs expressed in the request.
Related link
Yellow Fever International Coordinating Group (ICG) request form outbreak response 2012 (Word file)
