Immunization

Immunization
Vaccines keep children alive and healthy by protecting them against disease. Immunization is especially important for the hardest to reach families as it can also be a bridge to other life-saving care for mothers and children in isolated communities – such as child nutritional screening, anti-malarial mosquito nets, vitamin A supplements and de-worming tablets.

Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health investments we can make for future generations.

Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health investments we can make for future generations.

Vaccines are protecting more children than ever before. But, in 2012, nearly one in five infants – 22.6 million children – missed out on the basic vaccines they need to stay healthy. Low immunization levels compromise gains in all other areas of health for mothers and children. The poorest, most vulnerable children who need immunization the most continue to be the least likely to get it.

Almost one third of deaths among children under 5 are preventable by vaccine. Children in remote rural regions and impoverished areas of cities in poor and emerging countries are not being vaccinated. More than seventy per cent of the world’s unimmunized children live in only 10 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia. Large populations and fragile immunization structures make these children difficult to reach.

Along with remote location and weak health services, lack of education and conflict can prevent children from getting the vaccinations they need to survive and thrive. Many developing countries also have inadequate ‘cold chains’ – meaning optimal temperature control for the transport, storage and handling of vaccines. Or, they are not able to manage vaccine stocks effectively, leading to insufficient vaccine supply to immunize all children. New vaccines, like the ones against the viruses that spread pneumonia and severe diarrhea (pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccine) are still too expensive for many countries to afford – even in middle-income countries.

All children have a right to survive and thrive. Immunization is one of the most powerful tools to end preventable child deaths, saving up to 3 million children a year. The Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children have the right to live and have equal access to quality healthcare. Today, four out of five children around the world are vaccinated against deadly diseases, compared to only 20 per cent just over 30 years ago.

Immunization is one of the most powerful tools to end preventable child deaths, saving up to 3 million children a year.

Yet immunization is a critical, unfinished agenda in child health. Nearly 1 in 5 infants are still left out of the life-saving benefits of vaccines and are exposed to a far higher risk of death and disability. An estimated 1.5 million unvaccinated children die each year.

Why do children miss out on immunization?

In 2013, 21.6 million children were not vaccinated. Children who miss out on vaccinations are often the most deprived. They typically also lack food and clean water, live in poor housing, do not go to school and cannot access even basic health care. Gaps in immunization affect children in rural and urban areas, and in poor and middle-income countries. Conflict can also make it impossible for vaccinators to reach children. Others are excluded because they are from ethnic minorities, or live deep in city slums, where health services operate poorly – if at all. Religious or traditional beliefs can lead some communities to refuse vaccination, while others, such as nomads, refugees or migrants, are continuously on the move.

Over 70 per cent of children who did not receive the three recommended doses of the combined diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTP3) vaccine, live in Africa and South-East Asia. More than a third live in India alone. (Culled from UNICEF Journal 2012).

Aisha a 42 year old woman was excited to mention that she had never learnt any skill all her life as she was married off early at the age of 14. Now, she feels empowered and confident.

Aisha, 42
Empowered through Sewing and Soap Making