This legislation, whether it is a law, decree, ministerial directive or other, formally recognizes the establishment of the group and generally outlines its role in advising the government. The third best practice indicator was that at least five areas of expertise were represented on the ITAG to ensure multi-disciplinary representation.

This facilitates a well-rounded discussion of each topic and ensures the perspectives of various disciplines are considered. It ensures adequate technical capacity to make responsible, evidence-based Selleckchem INK-128 decisions. Another indicator used was that the ITAG met at least once a year. This ensures that the ITAG is active and meets frequently to discuss current issues and ensures the vaccine schedule for the country is adequate. Another criterion was that an agenda was distributed prior to the meeting to Selleck Androgen Receptor Antagonist enable an informed discussion amongst members. The final best practice indicator was that members were required to declare conflicts of interest to increase the likelihood that members

are independent and acting in their own capacity. This contributes to a transparent, credible policy development process. In total, of the 193 eligible countries for the two questionnaires, 147 (76%) responded. The response rate to the global questionnaire was 71% (100 of 140 countries surveyed) while that of the European questionnaire was 89% (47 of 53 countries) [13]. The South-East Asian and the Eastern-Mediterranean regions had the highest response rates (91%, 10 of 11 and 19 of 21 member oxyclozanide states, respectively). In contrast, the Western Pacific region had the lowest at 41% (11 of 27 member states). Twenty one percent (n = 31 of 147) of responding countries were developed countries, 12% (n = 17) were economies in transition, 42% (n = 62) were developing countries, and 25% (n = 37) were

least developed countries. The presence of a national ITAG was reported by 61% (n = 89 of 147) of countries that responded. The Western Pacific region and European region reported the highest proportion of countries with a national ITAG (73%, n = 8 of 11; 72%, n = 34 of 47 [13]) while the African region reported the lowest proportion (32%, n = 11 of 34). None of the respondents reported that a national ITAG had been in existence but had since dissolved. Developed countries had the highest reported rate of national ITAGs (94%, n = 29) followed by developing countries (69%, n = 43), countries with economies in transition (35%, n = 6) and least developed countries (30%, n = 11). The oldest ITAGs were established in the United Kingdom in 1963 and in Canada and the United States of America in 1964. The median and mode of the reported year of establishment was 2000 with 12 ITAGs being established in that year. The reported mandate of ITAGs varied slightly but generally was to advise the government on technical issues related to national immunization programs such as recommendations on vaccine use.