The Stakeholders of the ARIVAC Project

The Families Participating in the PNF13399 Trial

These comprise of the parents and caretakers of Tagbilaran City and the 5 municipalities in Bohol (i.e. Baclayon, Balilihan, Cortes, Dauis, and Panglao), who consented to the participation of their children in this trial. Since their children bear the burden of the discomfort and risks associated with the trial, they would be the first to inquire about the results thereof and what their volunteering spirit has gained for their children and the children population in the country as a whole.

The Local Governments of Bohol

The Provincial Government of Bohol, the City Government of Tagbilaran City and the local governments of the municipalities of Baclayon, Balilihan, Cortes, Dauis and Panglao have provided logistic support for the improved delivery of the immunization services to the children in their areas.  They would be eagerly looking forward to the overall impact of such support to the Boholano infants' health and these would have serious policy and budgetary implications.

The Health Professionals in Bohol, Philippines

These are the Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) and midwives of Tagbilaran City, the municipalities of Baclayon, Balilihan, Cortes, Dauis, and Panglao; the physicians, and nurses of the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (also referred to most of the time as the Bohol Regional Hospital), and the private hospitals, namely, the Borja Family Clinic, the Medical Mission Group of Hospitals, the Community Hospital, Englewood Hospital, St. Jude Hospital, Ramiro Hospital, and Puericulture Center in Tagbilaran City. These health professionals, have actively assisted and collaborated in the conduct of the different trial activities, these being part of their mission to maintain and uplift the health of the population they serve. However, they anticipate with eagerness the result of this trial as they themselves are responsible for the health of the community, and would need to endorse the application of new vaccines in preventing serious childhood diseases. They expect improved knowledge and skills in the management of pneumococcal diseases and adverse events after immunization as may be identified through this trial and the role of new vaccines in child health.

The National ARIVAC Advisory Committee

This is a committee composed of representatives from the Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines, the Western Pacific Regional Office of the World Health Organization, the Philippine Academia, namely, the University of the Philippines and the Philippine Pediatric Society, regional and provincial health authorities (i.e. Region VII and Province of Bohol), and the Child Vaccine Program via the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), and UNICEF. Its mandate is to provide advice on relevant issues and concerns of project implementation and to ensure the integration of the project output into the Expanded Program of Immunization of the Department of Health of the Philippines.