NAIROBI, Kenya – The last week of April is designated as World Immunization Week.
World Immunization Week 2025 will take place this year from April 24 to April 30, 2025.
The main aim of the week is to draw attention to how important vaccinations are in preventing avoidable illnesses in individuals of all ages.
Raising awareness of the life-saving advantages of vaccines is the goal of this international event.
Vaccine-preventable diseases include cervical cancer, cholera, diphtheria, hepatitis B, influenza, Japanese encephalitis, measles, meningitis, mumps, pertussis, pneumonia, polio, and rabies.
Others are rotavirus, rubella, tetanus, typhoid, varicella, and yellow fever.
Why are vaccines essential to human life
So, as World Immunization Week kicks off, it is now emerging that vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements.
Against this background, experts are now calling for all eligible people to get out and get vaccinated.
Diseases like measles, once declared as eliminated in the United States of America 25 years ago, are now seeing outbreaks due to low immunization rates in some areas.
Join us this Thursday evening starting 7:00pm for a special webinar as we commemorate #WorldImmunizationWeek – the theme: Vaccination For All is Humanly Possible!To Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…
Dr. Bunmi Fatoye, from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, warns that preventable diseases remain in our communities. She attributes this to a lot of global travel that is going on.
“There is also migration of people across the globe, and so what this does is that it brings in people who have not been vaccinated to mingle with the society. And so, because the disease is still circulating, it only takes one person to get infected, and that person has the potential to spread the infection. To other people,” warned Dr. Fatoye.
How many deaths does vaccines precent
According to the Epidemiology, Medical Research, Innovation, and Training Group embedded in Médecins Sans Frontières (Epicentre MSF), vaccinations are one of the simplest and most effective ways to protect people from potentially deadly diseases.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that vaccinations currently prevent 3.5 to 5 million deaths annually from diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and measles.
“By 2023, 103 countries reported measles outbreaks, reflecting the swift spread of the disease when vaccination coverage is inadequate. In 2023, MSF teams provided 3,295,700 measles vaccinations in response to an outbreak,” reads a statement from Epicentre MSF.
It’s #WorldImmunizationWeek! Vaccine-preventable diseases include: Cervical cancer Cholera Diphtheria Ebola Hep B Influenza Japanese encephalitis Measles Meningitis Mumps Pertussis Pneumonia Polio Rabies Rotavirus Rubella Tetanus Typhoid Varicella Yellow Fever Yes, #VaccinesWork!
Meanwhile, Epicentre MSF states that global DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) coverage remains below recommended targets, especially in conflict-affected areas. High costs, import restrictions, logistical issues, and a complex schedule are some of the reasons why.
Epicentre MSF discloses that it actively advocates for access to affordable vaccines in low-income countries and pushes for fair, transparent distribution worldwide.
What dos the future of vaccination entail
Back to WHO, the health agency says that at least 154 million lives have been saved during the past 50 years because of necessary vaccinations. That’s six lives every minute for fifty years.
“40% of the increase in newborn survival over the past 50 years may be attributed to vaccination, and more children today survive past their first birthday than at any other point in human history,” WHO says in a statement. 60% of those lives were saved by the measles vaccine alone, according to the WHO. “By building on these successes, more lives can be saved. In addition to reaching millions of children who have never had a single vaccination, the future of immunization includes safeguarding young girls from HPV, grandparents from influenza, infants from RSV and malaria, and expectant moms from tetanus,” WHO further says.
The history of global health is at a turning point. The hard-won progress in eliminating diseases that can be prevented by vaccination is at risk.
“We have eradicated smallpox and nearly eradicated polio thanks to decades of cooperation between governments, aid organisations, scientists, medical professionals, and parents,” says WHO.
African Vaccination Week kicks off tomorrow. Vaccines save lives! Join us from April 24-30 for #AVW2025 as we work to ensure #ImmunizationForAll. Let’s protect our communities with life-saving vaccines!
World Immunization Week 2025, with the theme “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible,” seeks to guarantee that even more kids, teens, adults, and their communities are shielded from diseases that can be prevented by vaccination.
Vaccines demonstrate that if we set our minds to it, we can reduce sickness and increase life expectancy. So, it’s time to show the world that Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.
