IVI and Mozambique

 

Official Relations

 

In December 2024, the Honourable Armindo Daniel Tiago, then Minister of Health of the Republic of Mozambique, submitted Mozambique’s request for approval as an IVI member state. That same month, the IVI Board of Trustees voted to approve the entry of Mozambique into IVI. 

 

The deposit of an instrument of accession to the IVI Establishment Agreement by the Republic of Mozambique is still pending.   

 

Ongoing Collaboration

 

Climate Change and Vaccine Coverage Study

This project aims to understand and quantify the impact of extreme weather events on the average vaccination coverage of the Expanded Program on Immunization in Mozambique. This study is also an opportunity to collect other health and meteorological data from Mozambique at the district and provincial level.

 

In 2024, the project collected datasets on province-level coverage for all Expanded Program on Immunization vaccines, case counts of diarrheal diseases and malaria, mortality due to extreme weather, meteorological data (temperature, rainfall, humidity, lightning), and information on water, sanitation, and hygiene as well as other sociodemographics.

 

IVI collaborates with Mozambique’s Instituto Nacional de Saúde (INS) with funding from the government of Sweden through the IVI Europe Regional Office. 

 

Expanding COVID-19 Vaccine Access and Delivery in Africa (ECOVA) 1 & 2

ECOVA-01 is a Phase 3 randomized, observer-blind, controlled trial to assess the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of BBIBP-CorV vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

 

This was the first COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial conducted in Africa and significantly contributed to building capacity for the subsequent Vaccine Against Schistosomiasis for Africa (VASA) project.

 

ECOVA-02 is a phase 2, observer-blind, randomized study to assess the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of heterologous prime-boost COVID-19 vaccines regimens in healthy adults aged 18 to 65 years in Mozambique. ECOVA-02 is a mix and match study using the Sinopharm and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. 

 

Data analysis on clinical vaccine effectiveness has been completed, and a manuscript summarizing results has been submitted. The study’s closeout and stakeholder engagement are planned for 2025.

 

ECOVA 01 and 02 are conducted in cooperation with INS, with funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

 

Mozambique Typhoid Fever Surveillance (MOTIF) Program

Since 2020, IVI’s MOTIF program has been supporting efforts by the government of Mozambique to introduce typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into their national immunization schedule by generating typhoid fever disease burden data. MOTIF works in close collaboration with INS. Some surveillance activities concluded in 2024 while others continued in 2025. 

 

MOTIF is funded by a donation from Professor Young Chul Sung of Korea’s POSTECH, as well as the government of Sweden through the IVI European Regional Office. 

 

Enhancing Cholera Control (ECHO) – Mozambique

Since 2020, IVI’s ECHO program has been conducting a major cholera control and prevention project in Mozambique, which included oral cholera vaccine (OCV) vaccination campaigns combined with Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) activities, disease surveillance, and the development and approval of a National Cholera Control Plan. 

 

In 2024, the project made significant strides in cholera and diarrheal disease surveillance. Data collection for a cost-of-illness study in some endemic areas is ongoing. Site visits were conducted in 2024 to monitor surveillance activities and finalize a cross-sectional household survey completed the previous year. Work will continue in 2025 with a planned effectiveness study of an oral cholera vaccine.

 

IVI works in close collaboration with INS and the Ministry of Health of Mozambique, INS, and the Nampula Public Health Laboratory, with funding from the Korean International Cooperation Agency’s Global Disease Eradication Fund, LG Electronics, and the Korean Support Committee for IVI. 

 

Previous Collaboration

 

Mozambique Cholera Prevention and Surveillance (MOCA)

From 2018 to 2020, IVI’s MOCA program worked to prevent cholera epidemics and empower local public health services for sustainable cholera surveillance and control. In 2018, MOCA administered OCV to approximately 180,000 individuals living in Cuamba district. This vaccination campaign was followed by vaccination monitoring and evaluation, disease surveillance studies, health economics analysis, and WASH education. 

 

Mass Oral Cholera Vaccination in Beira, Mozambique

From 2003 to 2004, as part of the Disease of the Most Impoverished (DOMI) program, IVI conducted a mass vaccination campaign in the Esturro neighborhood of Beira, Mozambique using the Dukoral OCV. Approximately 14,164 individuals, or 72% of the qualified local population received one dose of Dukoral, while 11,070 individuals or 57% of the qualified local population received two doses of the Dukoral vaccine. 

 

Following vaccination, disease surveillance and follow-up studies demonstrated that the vaccine conferred 78% to 84% protection against cholera infection. IVI collaborated closely with the Centros de Tratamento de Colera and the Centro de Higiene Ambiental e Exames Médecos in Beira, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the Ministry of Health of Mozambique, and the program was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.