As the world deals with the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance
of vaccines as a cost-effective strategy in the prevention of diseases is being brought home to people across the planet.
Vaccines take pressure off health systems based on the idea that prevention is better than cure.
Vaccination is a duty, not just to our children, but to ourselves and to our elderly, as there are vaccines to respond to diseases that present themselves at every phase of life. Vaccines are often lifesaving, but also save people from avoidable suffering and contribute to an improved quality of life.
These principles were reflected in the theme for African Vaccination Week, which coincides with World Vaccination Week, from April 24 to 30, 2020, “Vaccines for All”.
African Vaccination Week provides an opportunity for countries to strengthen immunisation programmes and systems through advocacy, education and increasing awareness that everyone has the right to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The occasion also underscores the importance of maintaining and expanding existing immunisation programmes, even as the world is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While scientists are working on treatments for COVID-19, and despite the massive incidence of the disease, we also need to be cognisant of the threat of other diseases to humanity,” said clinical virologist Dr Ramokone Maphoto.
“It is now more important than ever to highlight the benefits and
value of vaccination to communities and how immunisation helps to reduce the potential burden on our healthcare system.”
Africa has embraced such support for vaccination and has made significant improvements to its immunisation programmes over the past 40 years. However, the immunisation agenda on the continent still lags, as demonstrated by the number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its Global Immunization Data, estimates that 1,5 million children die every year from diseases that could have been prevented by vaccination.
The continent faces challenges around vaccine hesitancy and a lack of confidence in immunisation systems, often fueled by anti-vaxxer sentiments. In 2019, the WHO listed vaccinehesitancy as one of the top ten threats to global health.
Such hesitancy is affected by complacency, convenience and confidence, a WHO report found.Poor communication about vaccines can also contribute to vaccine hesitancy. This hesitancy leads to a lower acceptance of vaccines in a community for themselves or their children. This can lead to the re-emergence of disease.
Dr Maphoto said African Vaccination Week was an ideal time to correct these communication failures.
“This is an opportunity to drive initiatives that eliminate the threat of vaccine hesitancy, which can
erode the extraordinary progress made by vaccination programmes in Africa,” Dr Maphoto added.
WHO immunisation data shows that vaccination saves an estimated 2 to 3 million lives each year1. Although immunisation has substantially reduced the burden of many diseases, people
remain at risk of contracting serious illnesses like measles, meningitis, pneumonia, tetanus or polio, which could lead to death and disability.
It is imperative for communities to get vaccinated, as the germs that cause them may continue to circulate, even across borders, infecting people who are not protected.
“We get vaccinated for two reasons: to protect ourselves and to protect those around us.” said Dr Maphoto. “Not everyone can be vaccinated – including very young babies, those who are ill or people with allergies. They depend on others being vaccinated to ensure they are also safe from vaccine-preventable diseases. Dosages also vary for various vaccines, and therefore it is advisable for people to consult healthcare providers for guidance and accurate information.”
Besides immunising against disease, vaccines can also help limit the spread of antibiotic resistance6 caused by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, and further prevent diseases caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as the one producing various strains of tuberculosis.
Vaccines are also constantly being developed for emerging diseases such as Ebola, where a vaccine was recently rolled out to stop a deadly epidemic in West Africa. Other vaccines protect people against diseases that are increasingly difficult to treat.
“Now, more than ever, immunisation is critically important for all of humanity,” said Dr Maphoto. “It is a right and a responsibility for all of us to get vaccinated, for the health and wellbeing of
everyone, everywhere, throughout life.”
