One Health Global Institute (OHGA Institute), formerly Ohio State Global One Health, hosted experts from the Global Immunization Division of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) in Ethiopia from September 12-26, 2026. The visit focused on vaccine safety surveillance and support for national immunization programs. The team met with the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA), the Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) and Africa CDC to review the performance of the national surveillance system for Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) and identify opportunities for improvement. Technical support focused on data management and quality including use of the AEFI tracker to inform decisions.
The team also supported the Pharmacovigilance Advisory Committee’s (PAC) causality assessments of serious AEFI cases through knowledge and experience sharing. It contributed to the development of Ethiopia’s Vaccine-Related Event (VRE) Response Plan by sharing lessons from countries with similar frameworks.
Priorities identified during the visit included strengthening AEFI data systems and workforce capacity and establishing a secretariat to support case reviews, documentation, and case classification during causality assessment. Participants also highlighted the need to integrate vaccine safety into routine surveillance and improve coordination among relevant committees and programs.