Maternal and neonatal tetanus are important causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, claiming about 180 000 lives worldwide every year, almost exclusively in developing countries. Although easily prevented by maternal immunisation with tetanus toxoid vaccine, and aseptic obstetric and postnatal umbilical-cord care practices, maternal and neonatal tetanus persist as public-health problems in 48 countries, mainly in Asia and Africa. Survival of tetanus patients has improved substantially for those treated in hospitals with modern intensive-care facilities; however, such facilities are often unavailable where the tetanus burden is highest. The Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative assists countries in which maternal and neonatal tetanus has not been eliminated to provide immunisation with tetanus toxoid to women of childbearing age. The ultimate goal of this initiative is the worldwide elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus. Since tetanus spores cannot be removed from the environment, sustaining elimination will require improvements to presently inadequate immunisation and health-service infrastructures, and universal access to those services. The renewed worldwide commitment to the reduction of maternal and child mortality, if translated into effective action, could help to provide the systemic changes needed for long-term elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus.

Objective To estimate the cost of scaling up childhood immunization services required to reach the WHO-UNICEF Global Immunization Vision and Strategy (GIVS) goal of reducing mortality due to vaccine-preventable diseases by two-thirds by 2015. Methods A model was developed to estimate the total cost of reaching GIVS goals by 2015 in 117 low-and lower-middleincome countries. Current spending was estimated by analysing data from country planning documents, and scale-up costs were estimated using a bottom-up, ingredients-based approach. Financial costs were estimated by country and year for reaching 90% coverage with all existing vaccines; introducing a discrete set of new vaccines (rotavirus, conjugate pneumococcal, conjugate meningococcal A and Japanese encephalitis); and conducting immunization campaigns to protect at-risk populations against polio, tetanus, measles, yellow fever and meningococcal meningitis.

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Maternal and neonatal tetanus are important causes of maternal and neonatal mortality, claiming about 180 000 lives worldwide every year, almost exclusively in developing countries. Although easily prevented by maternal immunisation with tetanus toxoid vaccine, and aseptic obstetric and postnatal umbilical-cord care practices, maternal and neonatal tetanus persist as public-health problems in 48 countries, mainly in Asia and Africa. Survival of tetanus patients has improved substantially for those treated in hospitals with modern intensive-care facilities; however, such facilities are often unavailable where the tetanus burden is highest. The Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Initiative assists countries in which maternal and neonatal tetanus has not been eliminated to provide immunisation with tetanus toxoid to women of childbearing age. The ultimate goal of this initiative is the worldwide elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus. Since tetanus spores cannot be removed from the environment, sustaining elimination will require improvements to presently inadequate immunisation and health-service infrastructures, and universal access to those services. The renewed worldwide commitment to the reduction of maternal and child mortality, if translated into effective action, could help to provide the systemic changes needed for long-term elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus.Tetanus in the first 28 days of life (neonatal tetanus) was long recognised by clinicians in resource-poor settings as an important cause of neonatal death. However, since babies affected by this disease usually are born at home and die there without registration of either event, the true burden was unknown. In the 1970s and 1980s, community-based surveys about neonatal tetanus from more than 40 countries showed that fewer than 10% of tetanus-related cases and deaths were routinely reported in most countries: in some regions, the reporting fraction was as low as 2-5%. 1,2 Estimates based on the results of these surveys, and tetanus data routinely reported to WHO suggested that, in the 1980s, more than 1 million deaths every year were attributable to tetanus, with an estimated 787 000 deaths in 1988 from neonatal tetanus alone. 1,3 In 1989, the worldwide public-health community made a commitment to the elimination of neonatal tetanus (defined as fewer than one case of neonatal tetanus per 1000 livebirths in all districts) by 1995. 3,4 Maternal tetanus is defined as tetanus during pregnancy, or within 6 weeks of the end of pregnancy (whether pregnancy ended with birth, miscarriage, or abortion), and has the same risk factors and means of prevention as neonatal tetanus. In the early 1990s it was estimated to account for about 5% of maternal mortality, or 15 000-30 000 deaths every year. 5,6 In 1999, the elimination of maternal tetanus was added to the goals of the elimination programme for neonatal tetanus, and the initiative was renamed the Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Program. 6 Good progress has been made in the 15 ...

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Madagascar's immunization program faces serious challenges and those affected most are the poorest populations. Major inequities in immunization were found at the subnational level and were mainly geographic in nature. Approaches to improve immunization systems need to be equitable. This may include the replacement of supply chain equipment with those powered by sustainable energy sources, monitoring its functionality at health facility level and vaccination services in all communities.