Immunization for All is Humanly Possible
Some of the greatest achievements in health belong to all of us. In the second half of the 20th century, families, communities, health workers and governments in the Western Pacific Region have taken part in global vaccine drives that have eradicated smallpox, kept the Region polio-free, and helped more infants see their first birthday. Each of us are proof that vaccines work.
Today, every country in the world has a national immunization program, thanks to the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1974, EPI aimed to combat and prevent various communicable diseases through immunization. At its inception, EPI focused on protecting children against six childhood vaccine-preventable diseases, but today, this number has grown to 13, encompassing vaccines for older children, adolescents, and adults.
In 2023, nearly a million children in the Western Pacific Region missed out on essential vaccines. This means that roughly 1 in 17 infants in the Western Pacific Region have not received even a single vaccine shot, and such children account for nearly half of all vaccine-preventable deaths.
World Immunization Week brings together a diverse and broad coalition of partners to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease, and to continue the “Humanly Possible” campaign launched last year, with a future forward look on ensuring Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.
There is no reason why we can’t make it possible for everyone to benefit from the life-saving power of vaccines. Let’s work to ensure every person in the Western Pacific receives their vaccinations and has the opportunity to pursue a life well lived.
This year’s campaign aims to:
- Demonstrate it is humanly possible to have less disease and more life, if people – and their communities – protect themselves and their loved ones from vaccine-preventable diseases through immunization.
- Encourage governments to turn vaccines into vaccinations through strong immunization program at local and national levels to deliver on the promise of immunization for all.
Source: WHO web
