LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- In preparation for the World Immunization Week, attention has shifted to the life-saving impact of vaccines, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting that immunization has saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years.
The agency noted that progress comes from everyday decisions made by individuals and families to guard against diseases such as measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio and rotavirus.
The announcement coincides with World Immunization Week, which began yesterday, April 24 and will end on Thursday, April 30.
Health experts and partners are using this period to create more awareness on how vaccines protect people at all stages of life.
They also highlight advances that have led to reliable vaccines against illnesses including malaria, HPV, cholera, dengue, meningitis, RSV, Ebola and mpox.
At the same time, global health leaders are reviewing progress under the Immunization Agenda 2030, led by the WHO to expand access to life-saving vaccines worldwide, as it reaches its halfway point this year.
A new report shows that despite major challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, climate pressures and funding gaps, immunization programmes in the past five years have prevented millions of deaths.
However, the findings reveal that many targets are still not being met, with gaps in routine vaccination coverage, unequal access and continued outbreaks in several countries.
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To tackle these setbacks, WHO is calling for stronger national health systems, better integration of vaccination into primary healthcare and renewed commitment from global partners.
In response to declining vaccination rates during the pandemic, WHO, UNICEF and Gavi launched “The Big Catch-up” in 2023.
The initiative has already reached about 18.3 million children aged one to five in 36 countries.
The campaign has also delivered a key step toward ending polio, with 23 million doses of inactivated polio vaccine made available to children who missed routine immunization.
Organizers maintain that they expect the programme to reach at least 21 million children.
Expanding on the issue, WHO’s Country Representative in Nigeria, Walter Mulombo, reassured the public about vaccine safety.
He said, “vaccines are safe and effective,” adding that WHO only approves vaccines after careful and strict testing to confirm they work.
Ultimately, health experts continue to stress that increasing awareness, improving access and building trust remain essential to protecting more communities from preventable diseases worldwide.
