European Vaccination Week – The great value of vaccines
European Immunization Week is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO/Europe) and this year it takes place from 21 to 27 April 2024.
The slogan of this initiative “Protecting Generations” highlights the important contribution of vaccines to eliminating infectious diseases and protecting life. Thanks to vaccination, 2-3 million deaths are prevented worldwide every year and costs for specific disease treatment are reduced.
Vaccination is an important public good. Thanks to extensive vaccination campaigns, smallpox was eliminated, Europe was free of polio and many other diseases have been almost eliminated. Today, the number of vaccines available has increased significantly and is addressed to all age groups (infants, children, adolescents and adults).
The World Health Organization is calling on its Member States to develop strategies for equitable access to vaccines and to increase vaccination coverage. Efforts to fill the vaccination gaps created during the COVID 19 pandemic are urgent. The risk of a resurgence of infectious diseases due to reduced vaccination coverage is becoming evident, as shown by the recent increase in measles cases with more than 58,000 cases in 41/53 countries of the WHO European Region in 2023.
Winning the battle against infectious diseases requires vigilance, given that challenges are many and ongoing. Emphasis should be placed on maintaining vaccination coverage in infants and children and increasing vaccination rates in adolescents and adults in order to achieve health protection.
In this direction, continuous information of the population, adherence to the National Vaccination Program, monitoring of vaccination coverage through registration systems and investment in innovative vaccines are particularly important.
With the exception of clean water, no other discovery, not even antibiotics, has brought about such a significant reduction in mortality as vaccines.
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