Every year, the world celebrates World Immunization Week. Celebrated during the last week of April, this global event promotes vaccines and encourages everyone around the globe to get vaccinated for a variety of diseases.
Immunization saves millions of lives per year globally and has been recognized as one of the most important medical discoveries of all time. Despite these facts, there are still nearly twenty million people across the globe who are not vaccinated, as well as teenagers and young adults who miss out on vaccines they need into adulthood.
Combating Distancing
This year’s theme is “vaccines brings us closer” a reference to the imposed “social distancing” which has dictated the lives of global citizens over the course of the last year. The World Health Organization, or WHO, is planning to raise awareness and engagement for vaccines of all types during the week. Their goal is to reiterate and teach people the importance of vaccinations and help foster a sense of togetherness and community all around the globe.
In addition, partners and individuals are uniting to help bolster trust and confidence in vaccines and help people understand and accept the life-saving measures. The organization will also try to drum up increased investment in vaccines, including routine immunization, and remove barriers to access, such as cost and inadequate allocation of resources.
Helping Those Less Fortunate
Currently, the world is focused on the Covid-19 vaccine, but there are several others that should be administered to children all across the world. For example, polio and measles have not been fully eradicated on a global scale yet because of the inability to access those vaccines for some children in less developed countries.
Hampering the efforts of global healthcare workers to make sure the world is fully vaccinated is misinformation, often spread online on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The WHO aims to build solidarity and fight the rampant and incorrect facts spouted about vaccines from some on these platforms.
A Legacy of Safety
Vaccines have existed and been used for over two hundred years and their safety has rarely been in question since their inception. Vaccines are also being developed quicker and always with safety in mind for other diseases. Increased investment leads to increased research and increased efforts to cure the world of life-threatening diseases.
The WHO is currently looking for partners to team up with them and help spread the wonderful news and information about vaccines for a global audience. The COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent vaccine efforts, have offered an unprecedented and incredibly important platform and visibility for health officials to tout the safety and trust of vaccinations.
Main Goals
In addition to raising awareness and spreading helpful information, the WHO wants to use World Immunization Week to reframe the global conversation surrounding vaccines, focusing on their importance and the progress they represent on a global scale.
They also wish to highlight the many ways in which vaccines keep populations safe and healthy, as well as demonstrate the social proof of vaccine safety and trust. Finally, the WHO is aiming to build solidarity on a global scale and pinpoint vaccines as the tools that help save millions of lives every year.
Celebrate the Week
This year’s World Immunization Week will last from the 24th of April to the 30th. Vaccines have saved millions of lives and will be responsible for ending the Covid-19 pandemic, and their praises need to be sung all across the world. Scientists are collaborating and innovating all the time in order to develop new and exciting solutions to currently existing diseases and should be able to do so well into the future.
