World Immunization Week: Why Global Efforts Need to Improve Access to Vaccines-Doha News

World Immunization Week is celebrated every year in the last week of April. Organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), this global initiative aims to raise awareness and promote vaccine use worldwide.

As the Covid-19 pandemic reminded us, vaccines and vaccinations save millions of lives each year, and vaccination is the second most successful and cost-effective public health intervention in history after clean water. Often recognized.

Vaccines have long protected us from serious illnesses and stopped the once very common epidemic of infectious diseases. Examples of these illnesses include whooping cough, measles, and mumps.

However, despite major advances, there are still about 20 million children around the world today and the vaccines they need are not yet available. Of these, more than 13 million are called “zero dose” children and have not been vaccinated through a vaccination program. Lack of investment in vaccines creates barriers to access and remains a problem in some parts of the world to this day.

With the successful rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine, it is becoming increasingly timely and important to increase confidence and confidence in the vaccine and encourage investment in the vaccine and its fair and equitable distribution. ..

This year, WHO declared “vaccines bring us closer” as the theme of this World Immunization Week, emphasizing that vaccines will be integrated again, just as they were in the past.

This year, Qatar celebrates World Immunization Week among the largest vaccination campaigns the country has ever witnessed – a vaccination drive against Covid-19. The celebration focuses on the importance of vaccination with Covid-19, and other common injections to prevent the spread of the disease.

Suspension of global vaccination program

However, while our current priorities worldwide focus primarily on the deployment of the Covid-19 vaccine, it is important not to miss or forget regular vaccinations.

A WHO survey Despite significant progress over the past year, 37% of respondents said they still reported interruptions in their routine immunization services.

These confusions are so great report The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that vaccination rates in 2020 fell to the levels last seen in the 1990s, resulting in a 25-year setback in just 25 weeks.

In addition, new data show that mass vaccination campaigns have been suspended and 60 campaigns are currently being postponed in 50 countries. Not only does this jeopardize progress, it also puts about 228 million people (mostly children) at risk for diseases such as measles, polio and yellow fever. More than 50% of the 50 affected countries are in Africa, further emphasizing imbalances and inequities in access to immunization services.

Read again: Vaccine repellent: Why “Anti-Buxer” Refuses Vaccination against Covid-19

To date, it is unclear when affected children will be able to catch up, especially given that primary care clinics have been closed in many developing regions and almost all resources have been devoted to the fight against pandemics. is.

A series of serious measles outbreaks have been reported in some countries, such as Pakistan, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a direct result of these gaps in critical immunization services. Agencies warn that this increasing trend may continue to occur given the increasing number of children left without these life-saving vaccines.

The data show that people also skipped preventive and primary care visits in developed countries such as the United States for fear of potential exposure to Covid-19.by data The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reduced the dose of non-influenza pediatric vaccines ordered in March and April 2020 by about 2.5 million times compared to other “normal” years. I did.

Earlier this week, WHO, UNICEF and the Gavi the Vaccine Alliance set out to tackle the challenge of vaccination. Vaccination Agenda 2030. This global vision and strategy has been formed by the state and development partners and approved by the World Health Assembly.

The goals of this strategy are:

• Vaccines for all people of all ages reduce mortality and morbidity from preventable diseases.
• Do not leave anyone behind by increasing and ensuring equitable access to both existing and new vaccines.
• Through strengthening vaccination programs within the primary health care setting, we will ensure the health and well-being of all people around the world and contribute to universal health insurance and sustainable development.

Urgent action from all immunization stakeholders, global leaders, and the global health development community is needed to achieve the ambitious goals set out in Immunization Agenda 2030. There is no mistake.

Global efforts and collaboration. Increased investment; And it is important to implement a national immune program in line with the agenda framework.

Only then can these goals be achieved, and the vision for the health and well-being of all is ultimately envisioned.

Maha El Akoum, MPH, is a public health expert currently working as Content Director for the World Innovation Summit for Health. [WISH]..

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