KHRC Participates in International Conference on Maternal Immunization

March 13, 2025 | News Feed | Reading time: 4 min

The Kintampo Health Research Centre (KHRC) has participated in the 2nd Maternal Immunization Readiness Network in Africa and Asia (MIRNA) Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. The conference, which was held from February 24th to 28th, 2025 brought together experts from different countries to discuss how to prepare for the introduction of new vaccines for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries.

The five-day conference brought together research institutions and representatives from the Ministries of Health in partner countries, including Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. During the conference, participants shared their experiences and discussed how existing health structures could support the smooth introduction of maternal vaccines. Each country provided updates on their research and progress over the past year. Discussions also focused on strategies to strengthen collaboration among countries to ensure better maternal and child health outcomes.

KHRC was represented by Prof. Kwaku Poku Asante, Principal Investigator and Stakeholder Engagement Lead; Dr. Samuel Asiedu-Afari, Co-Principal Investigator and Vaccine Demand Assessment Lead; Prof. Yeetey Enuameh, Lead for Synthesis of In-Country Burden of Disease; Ms. Theresa Tawiah, Cost-Effectiveness Assessment Lead; Mrs. Irene Apewe Adjei, Lead for Situational Analysis of MI Delivery Pathways; Kwame Kesse Adjei, Stakeholder Engagement Co-Lead; Clifford Kwarteng Kyeremateng, Study Coordinator; and Dr. Alfred Kwadwo Ampofo, Municipal Director of Health Services, Kintampo. Their participation underscores KHRC’s commitment to improving maternal and child health by contributing to global efforts in maternal immunization research and policy planning.

The MIRNA Consortium was established to assess how prepared countries are to introduce new vaccines for pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries and explore ways to strengthen healthcare systems for effective vaccine delivery. It is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and coordinated by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. Read more about MIRNA: https://www.kintampo-hrc.org/pages/vaccine-nework-african-asian-mothers-study.html