WHO and the Ministry of Health of Armenia will host this subregional meeting, with financial support from the European Union (EU), to share results of the pilot introduction in Armenia of a new educational module on the immune system and immunization, called Immune Patrol. This event and the pilot introduction are part of the wider EU-funded project Vaccination Saves Lives – Supporting the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and strengthening routine vaccination systems in the Eastern Partnership countries.
Immune Patrol is a game-based educational module for students aged 10–12 years, developed by WHO/Europe. The module was piloted in 5 schools in Armenia in December 2022 and has so far been used by more than 500 students. Through close collaboration between WHO, the Armenian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, and with the financial support of the EU, Immune Patrol will soon become part of the country’s general school curricula, which focuses on fostering healthy lifestyles.
Representatives of national immunization programmes, ministries of health and ministries of education from Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan will attend the meeting, as well as WHO staff, temporary advisers and representatives from partner agencies, including the EU. In addition to learning about Armenia’s experiences in implementing the module, attendees from the other countries will be invited to discuss opportunities and draft country action plans for integrating Immune Patrol into their countries’ school curricula.