Terms of Reference

1. To advise the Department of Health (DH) and the Hong Kong Childhood Immunisation Programme on the requirements for verification of measles and rubella elimination; 

2. To compile or review and analyse relevant information to monitor progress towards measles and rubella elimination and assess if Hong Kong SAR has eliminated endemic measles and rubella virus transmission in accordance with established criteria and components; 

3. To conduct field visits when needed to monitor progress, assess data quality and validate analyses and assessments; 

4. To ensure the development of the annual progress report at territory-wide level for submission to the Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination in the Western Pacific (RVC) and, if necessary, propose feasible alternative data when stardard verification data are insufficient or inconsistent; 

5. To review and validate the report, providing conclusions and recommendations before submission of the report to the RVC;
6. To provide programmatic guidance consistent with verification criteria and lines of evidence; and
7. To advocate for measles and rubella elimination in collaboration with the RVC and the World Health Organization.  

Additional Terms of Reference for the Chairman

1. To define internal procedures and responsibilities of committee members in accordance with verification guidelines provided by the RVC; 

2. To prepare a plan of the National Verification Committee for Measles and Rubella Elimination (NVC) including activities, timeline, expected outcomes, and human and financial resource requirements, in collaboration with the DH, and to ensure preparation of reports for submission to the RVC; 

3. To preside over NVC meetings to be held at least once per year; and 

4. To attend RVC or other regional meetings as needed.

Membership