WHO provides support to Maldives in conducting a joint COVID-19 and HPV vaccines post-introduction evaluation (cPIE and HPV PIE)

World Health Organization is supporting the Republic of Maldives to conduct a joint COVID-19 and HPV vaccines post-introduction evaluation from 5 December to 12 December 2021. The main objective of the HPV PIE and cPIE is to evaluate the overall introduction of HPV in the national immunization programme and the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines in the country.

The COVID-19 PIE and HPV PIE will be an 8-day evaluation exercise conducted at national and sub-national levels using WHO Guidelines. Information will be gathered by local and international experts through interviews, observation and data review at all levels of the health services. The expert group includes representation from all layers of WHO (HQ, RO, several country offices and WCO Maldives), UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and MM Global Health to work with the in-country experts from the Ministry of Health.

In addition to the Greater Male’ region, the evaluation will also be conducted across seven atolls of the Maldives (Haa Alif, Shaviyani, Meemu, Lhaviyani, Thaa, Gaaf Dhaal and Gnaviyani). The team will collect data by conducting desk reviews, guided interviews, field visits to vaccination sites, households, health facilities, schools and vaccine cold storage sites using a specifically designed web based software tool . To conclude the evaluation, the team of experts will be presenting their findings to Ministry of Health and partners.

The Republic of Maldives initiated its COVID-19 vaccination campaign on 1st February 2021. Since then, there has been significant progress in the rollout and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines; corresponding to 87.44% (first dose) and 80.50% (second dose) vaccination coverage of the eligible population of 12+ years)



The HPV Vaccine was introduced in Maldives in 2019, targeting young girls between 10-14 years of age, followed by routine vaccination of age 10 in the national immunization schedule. In the first year of introduction, an EPI review (conducted from 18 to 26 August 2019) assessed the first-dose national administrative coverage to be at 91.9%.

The joint COVID-19 and HPV post-introduction evaluation supported by WHO is intended to highlight successful vaccine deployment and best practices from Maldives, recognize problems that need corrective action, identify lessons learned from the COVID-19 vaccine deployment to strengthen the overall national immunization system and services; specifically related to health workers, older adults, essential workers or persons with co-morbidities. After the evaluation exercise is concluded, the team will provide recommendations to improve roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, especially in the context of vaccination of phased-in target groups and strategies for booster vaccination. The team will also document and share the lessons learned with other countries for their own COVID-19 vaccine deployment, and for future pandemic vaccine deployments.