Just last week, the entire world came together to celebrate World Immunization Week,which aimed to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against infectious diseases. Immunization saves millions of lives every year and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. The outbreak of coronavirus has brought with it a giant wave of fear and uncertainty throughout the globe. We may not have a vaccine for COVID-19 yet, but what we do have are vaccines for other deadly and highly contagious yet preventable diseases.

Today,there are nearly 20 million children who are not receiving any vaccines, making similar outbreaks inevitable in the future. While regions in conflict make delivering vaccines in remote or restricted areas a challenge, there are numerous cases of parents themselves choosing not to vaccinate their children.This is either because they are unaware of the risks these diseases present or because misinformation about what vaccines are and why they are important has sown distrust.

Now with a global pandemic on our hands, spreading awareness about vaccines and immunization is of the utmost significance. Immunization guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 26th mentioned: “Disruption of immunisation services, even for brief periods, will result in increased numbers of susceptible individuals and raise the likelihood of outbreak-prone vaccine preventable diseases”. The COVID-19 outbreak reveals the very real risk to our communities when we do not have the protection of immunization against an infectious disease. Vaccines are the most effective tool to prevent outbreaks of dangerous diseases. So staying informed about the benefits of vaccines – and the risks of not getting vaccinated – is more important than ever. Let’s explore what vaccines are, how they help us and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.

What are vaccines?

Vaccines help in training our immune system to fight infections by introducing an inactivated form of a germ (bacteria or virus) into the body. Since it is inactivated, it cannot make us sick. However, it triggers our body’s immune system to produce defences called antibodies. That way, if you ever catch the germ, your body’s immune system will already know how to fight it.

What is immunization and why is it important?

Immunization is the process of making a person immune or resistant to an infectious disease,typically by the administration of a vaccine. Immunization is an excellent tool for controlling and eliminating life-threatening diseases and is estimated top revent between 2 and 3 million deaths each year. It is one of the most cost-effective health investments, with strategies that make it accessible to even the most hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. It can be delivered effectively through outreach activities; and vaccination does not require any major lifestyle change.

Immunization of children during the COVID outbreak

While the outbreak is disrupting our daily lives. Parents must try to get their child vaccinated where services are available. It is important that your child’s vaccinations are kept up to date so they are protected from serious diseases.If you are unsure about your child’s vaccinations, you can contact a doctor or healthcare advisor by visiting Shifaam.com

Sources:

World Health Organization:

Unicef: