National EPI Immunization in Practice 2025 Workshop group

National EPI Immunization in Practice 2025 Workshop brings together Solomon Islands nurses

The National EPI Immunization in Practice 2025 Workshop was recently held in Honiara, Solomon Islands. 

The workshop brought together 25 nurses – both male and female – from across Guadalcanal Province, including remote and hard-to-reach clinics. 

Set high on a hill, the training space was a thatched-roof hut nestled in the treetops, with attached accommodation where some of the attending nurses stayed during the week-long course.

The training program – which was jointly facilitated by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services and NCIRS, with funding from UNICEF – was based on the World Health Organization’s immunization in practice training materials and Reaching Every District (RED) strategy. 

The program was designed to strengthen the nurses’ knowledge of routine immunisation ahead of the Solomon Islands human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine Big Catch-Up campaign, which is set to launch across the country in early May. 

That campaign has the aim of vaccinating 30,000 Solomon Islands girls aged 9–14 years who have not yet received the HPV vaccine.

For many of the attending nurses who work in isolated communities, the workshop provided the skills and confidence needed to plan and implement immunisation programs through provincial microplanning. This detailed process includes mapping out entire communities, identifying households and marking natural landmarks such as rivers, hills and impassable terrain. 

Local nurses, who often have in-depth knowledge of their communities, use these maps to ensure no one is missed. Careful route planning and travel time estimates are needed.

The training also covered essential aspects of immunisation service delivery, including vaccine cold chain management, session organisation and safe injection techniques. 

Beyond implementation, nurses learned about the importance of monitoring and evaluation. By assessing vaccination coverage at the community level, they contribute to national immunisation data that help track progress and inform public health decisions for Solomon Islands.

The workshop was a vital step in strengthening immunisation efforts across Solomon Islands by equipping nurses with the tools they need to protect their communities through vaccination and improve overall public health.