On 24–25 July 2025, Africa CDC convened the Workshop on Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI) for Vaccine Safety Surveillance in Africa in Accra, Ghana, in partnership with CEPI and the SPEAC project.
The two-day, in-person workshop brought together 40 participants from 20 African countries for intensive training in AESI detection, investigation, and response—particularly in the context of vaccines for epidemic-prone diseases like Lassa fever, mpox, Marburg, and Chikungunya.
This workshop is part of Africa CDC’s broader efforts to strengthen vaccine safety systems across the continent—ensuring the safe introduction of new vaccines and generating high-quality safety data to inform public health decision-making and increase vaccine confidence.
Workshop Objectives
The training was designed to build technical capacity across national regulatory authorities and public health programs.
Key goals included:
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✅ Applying Brighton Collaboration Case Definitions and Companion Guides
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✅ Using MedDRA and ICD coding systems to enhance data quality and interoperability
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✅ Conducting case-based investigations, including case series analyses
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✅ Developing country-specific AESI monitoring plans aligned with national priorities
Participants and Faculty
The workshop engaged pharmacovigilance officers and immunization program leads from across Africa. Facilitators represented a broad mix of technical expertise from Africa CDC, CEPI, SPEAC, and national-level program implementers, creating a dynamic environment for hands-on learning and cross-country exchange.
SPEAC’s Foundational Role
This capacity-building effort was made possible by the foundational work of the SPEAC (Safety Platform for Emergency vACcines) project. SPEAC’s development of harmonized AESI definitions, Companion Guides, training resources, and the AESI app laid the groundwork for the workshop’s content and tools.
As new vaccines are deployed in response to epidemic threats, SPEAC’s contributions continue to play a critical role in enabling countries to monitor safety events with rigor, consistency, and transparency.
Learn more about AESIs and explore SPEAC’s tools HERE.
