Outreach Strategies for Vaccine Distribution: A Multi-period Stochastic Modeling Approach

Vaccination has been proven to be the most effective method prevent infectious diseases. However, in many low- and middle-income countries with geographically dispersed nomadic populations, last-mile vaccine delivery can extremely complex. Because newborns remote population centers often do not have direct access clinics hospitals, they face significant risk from diseases infections. An approach known as outreach is typically utilized raise immunization rates these situations. A set of locations chosen, over an appropriate planning period, teams clinicians support personnel are sent a depot up mobile at vaccinate people there immediate surrounding area. In this paper, we model problem optimally designing efforts mixed integer program that combination covering vehicle routing problem. addition, because elements relevant (such populations road conditions) unstable unpredictable, address uncertainty determine worst-case solutions. This done using multi-period stochastic modeling considers updated parameter estimates revised plans for subsequent periods. We also conduct numerical experiments provide insights on how demographic characteristics affect where planners should focus their attention when gathering data.