World Immunization Week is celebrated during the last week of April each year. It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
World Immunization Week is celebrated during the last week of April each year. It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is recognized as one of the world’s most successful health interventions.
This year the World Health Organization (WHO) have chosen the theme ‘Vaccines bring us closer’, to highlight the role vaccines play in bringing people together. WHO draws attention to the fact that for over 200 years, vaccines have protected us all against diseases that threaten lives and prohibit our development. With vaccines, we can progress without the burden of diseases – smallpox and polio are examples of infectious diseases that cost humanity hundreds of millions of lives, brought to the point of eradication following global effort.
We are still fighting for Universal Health Coverage worldwide; something that provides ALL people quality health services, medicines and vaccinations, without financial burden. In Gibraltar we are fortunate to have free vaccination programmes, but the uptake for those eligible is nowhere near 100%.
We are still fighting for Universal Health Coverage worldwide; something that provides ALL people quality health services, medicines and vaccinations, without financial burden. In Gibraltar we are fortunate to have free vaccination programmes, but the uptake for those eligible is nowhere near 100%.
Vaccines teach our immune systems to create antibodies to allow protection from diseases. For certain illnesses, it is much safer for our immune systems to gain defence through vaccination than by catching the diseases and treating them.
Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but can also benefit the whole community through “herd immunity”. When enough people are vaccinated, it becomes harder for the disease to spread to those people who cannot have vaccines. This is particularly important for people who are ill or have a weakened immune system.
WHO stresses that whilst vaccines do not provide a “silver bullet” they do help us progress on a path to a world where we can be together again. Vaccines themselves continue to advance, bringing us closer to a world free from conditions such as tuberculosis and cervical cancer, and ending suffering from childhood diseases like tetanus and measles.
Read more: @PublicHealthGib / www. HealthyGibraltar.org
