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World Immunization Week

World Immunization Week is a health campaign coordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO)  and celebrated in the last week of April, every year. It aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.

Immunization saves millions of lives and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Yet, there are still nearly 20 million unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children in the world today.

World Immunisation week - April 24 - 30, 2023

Under the banner of ‘The Big Catch-Up’, WHO is working with partners to support countries to get back on track to ensure more people are protected from preventable diseases.

WHO estimates that 25 million children missed out on vaccination in 2021 alone. We need to act now to catch-up the millions of children who missed out on vaccines during the pandemic, restore essential immunization coverage to at least 2019 levels and strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization.

The ultimate goal of World Immunization Week is for more children, adults – and their communities – to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, allowing them to live happier, healthier lives.

Key facts

  • Only 25 vaccine introductions other than COVID-19 vaccine were reported in 2021.
  • Global coverage dropped from 86% in 2019 to 81% in 2021
  • An estimated 25 million children under the age of 1 year did not receive basic vaccines, which is the highest number since 2009.
  • The number of girls not vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV) increased by 3.5 million, compared to 2019.
  • In 2021, the number of completely unvaccinated children increased by 5 million since 2019.

Why immunization matters now more than ever

For over 200 years, vaccines have protected us against diseases that threaten lives and prohibit our development. With their help, we can progress without the burden of diseases like smallpox and polio, which cost humanity hundreds of millions of lives.

Whilst vaccines aren't a silver bullet, they will again 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 the likes of tuberculosis and cervical cancer, and ending suffering from childhood diseases like tetanus and measles.

For more than two centuries, vaccines have helped keep people healthy—from the very first vaccine developed to protect against smallpox to the newest vaccines used to prevent severe cases of COVID-19. Since then, families and communities have entrusted vaccines to protect their loved ones. But the value
of vaccines is measured by more than the number of doses given.

Vaccines provide everyone a chance at a fulfilling life.

Source : World Health Organisation

Related resources

  1. Campaign materials

Last Modified : 5/28/2023



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