Next Thursday, World Immunization Week begins (the event ends on April 30) promoted by the World Health Organization. It is intended with her promote one of the most powerful instruments available to humanity in relation to health.
It is recognized that immunization as a health intervention is very successful and has a high cost-effectiveness. Protects children from diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis and measles; but also against two diseases that are a major cause of death in children under five years worldwide, I mean pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhea. And we don't talk only about protecting children, because thousands of adults and teenagers get protection against the flu or certain cancers (cervix, for example) thanks to new vaccines.
But in the whole world it is still not possible to reach one in five children, since the inadequate supply of vaccines, the lack of access to health professionals, and insufficient political or financial support, explain that a large proportion of people do not end the immunization processes established in their countries.
And in other places, if we talk about choosing not to vaccinate your children, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that lack of knowledge is one of the main reasons why such decisions are made.
Are you up to date?
This year's World Immunization Week campaign wants to remedy the lack of knowledge that can prevent people from getting vaccinated. This is how to inform (learn), check the vaccination coverage of ours through the booklets, and protect, requesting the administration of those vaccines that are not given according to the schedule established in each site.
We may consider that we are fortunate to access these services, since According to WHO figures, in 2012 more than 22 million infants were left out of systematic immunization services; and half of them live in only three countries that are India, Indonesia and Nigeria.
Increasing public understanding of the advantages of vaccination is one of the main objectives of the Global Plan of Action on Vaccines adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2012, which constitutes the framework in which immunization activities are carried out in the whole world
In the aforementioned Action Plan, the use of mobile phones and the internet as an alternative or complement to poster campaigns and events such as public information meetings or workshops with the media is encouraged.
