The CFV has five plenary meetings per year, which are scheduled one year in advance, in addition to numerous working group meetings. Ad hoc sessions are possible. The meetings are held in Bern and are closed to the public. Minutes are available on a confidential basis to members and invited participants. Abiraterone chemical structure Meetings are prepared by the Secretariat of the CFV, which is supported by the Vaccination programmes and control measures section

of the FOPH. The Secretariat is responsible for assessing and providing specific budget requests (e.g., to engage an expert or conduct a study). Funding is relatively limited, as it is for preventive health in general. The Secretariat is responsible for preparing the sessions (agenda and topics) in cooperation with the CFV

President and has experts at its disposal who are capable of preparing documents to serve as a background for committee discussions (literature reviews, epidemiological data, etc.). These experts also write recommendations and other communications materials. The budget is sufficient for the publication and dissemination of the commission’s recommendations and promotional materials. The commission’s scope covers all questions concerning vaccination and immunization. It Selleck MLN8237 makes decisions as to whether the use of new vaccines should be recommended or not (e.g., human papillomavirus, rotavirus, zoster), and makes recommendations about vaccination schedules, such as for the national schedule [Prevnar (2 + 1), hepatitis B virus (two doses for adolescents) and pandemic influenza vaccines (two doses for certain population groups)]. It recommends vaccinations for high-risk groups (e.g., chickenpox, pneumococcus, influenza, etc.), and it else also makes recommendations beyond the infant schedule for all vaccine-preventable diseases, although there is a separate independent ad hoc expert committee on travel health, which specifically addresses vaccination recommendations

for travelers. In addition, the CFV makes recommendations about conducting additional studies to aid decision making, such as surveys on acceptability of individual vaccines and economic cost-benefit studies (e.g., for the hepatitis B vaccine). As part of its role as a mediator between health authorities, stakeholders, and the public concerning questions about vaccinations, the CFV may take positions on diverse topics that are under its realm of specialties. For example, there is a brochure printed by the Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz (Foundation for Consumer Protection) that some parents have consulted for additional information on vaccination. This foundation has historically been perceived as a reputable information source, and thus this brochure was perceived as a balanced source of information. In 2005, a group of pediatric infectious disease specialists found that this brochure was not factually sound.