MSD Africa today announced its support of World Immunization Week, an annual global initiative launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners on April 20th to promote immunization for people of all ages through advocacy, education and communication. WHO's Africa Regional office (AFRO) has launched AFRO Immunization Week 2013 on 23 April to highlight the importance of protecting people in the region who are at significant risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. The theme of this year's World Immunization Week is "Protect your world - get vaccinated."
Vaccines have had a profound impact on public health. They help to prevent more than 30 common, yet potentially fatal, infectious diseases and to avert long-term disability(1) and an estimated two to three million deaths worldwide each year(2). However, the benefits of immunization need to extend beyond children, to reach adolescents and adults, and provide protection against life-threatening diseases such as influenza, meningitis and cervical cancer.
"Vaccines have not yet reached all those in the world who need them," said Professor Dr Lynette Denny, Head of Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Groote Schuur Hospital/University of Cape Town. "World Immunization Week aims to reinforce the message that timely vaccination prevents disease and to mobilize action to improve vaccination coverage for the world's at-risk individuals of all age groups. This is particularly important with regard to cervical cancer, a disease that disproportionately afflicts women in developing countries, where 76 to 86 percent of all cases occur(3)."
Although there have been great successes with vaccination in Africa, many challenges remain. An estimated 22.4 million infants worldwide have not received the recommended three doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, with the majority of these infants coming from 10 countries, including Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa. Further, more than 1.5 million children under the age of five - most of them in low-income countries - die from diseases that could be prevented by currently available vaccines(4).
"At MSD we are pleased to support World Immunization Week, which provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about the positive public health impact of vaccination," said Soren Bo Christiansen, president, MSD, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. "MSD is proud of its ongoing commitment to preventing these diseases worldwide. More than ever, we recognize that the value of vaccination has moved beyond the reduction of infant mortality, and is becoming an integral component of the provision of healthcare services, from infancy to old age, across the globe. It is our goal to press forward with innovative solutions to making vaccines available, limit potentially preventable deaths and improve quality of life. In Africa, MSD is pursuing a systematic and thoughtful approach to improve access to vaccines through four key pillars, innovation, partnerships, pricing and support with implementation."
