Latest news with #AVW
Zawya
25-04-2025
- Health
- Zawya
African Vaccination Week 2025: Big Catch-Up and vaccine introduction to boost South Sudan's health
Mrs. Lavina Mariba, today, celebrated the launch of the African vaccination week as a proud mother, with all her three children fully vaccinated and every family member up to date with their shots. 'All my children are fully vaccinated, my husband and I as well,' said Mariba 'my children have not fallen ill for the past eight months, and I believe this is the work of vaccine, I am proud of it.' Narrated Mariba. Mrs. Mariba, a 32-year-old resident of —a suburb of Juba—has joined the rest of her community in the official celebration of African Vaccination Week 2025 at a nearby Kator Primary Health Care Centre in Juba. From 24 to 30 April, South Sudan will celebrate African Vaccination Week (AVW) under the theme 'Immunization for All is Humanly Possible'. This year's commemoration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), which, over the past five decades, has driven progress in combating vaccine-preventable diseases, saving lives and promoting health. In South Sudan, the country's national immunization programme has progressively introduced life-saving vaccines, expanding coverage with lifesaving vaccines. BCG (tuberculosis vaccine), Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), measles (first dose), and Tetanus Toxoid (TT) vaccines were first introduced in 1976. This was followed by the introduction of the Pentavalent vaccine in 2015 and the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) in 2016. Subsequently, the tetanus-diphtheria booster (Td) and second dose of IPV were introduced in 2021. Most recently, the malaria vaccine was added to the routine immunization schedule in 2024. This year, with the support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the country is introducing additional vaccines, including the Pneumococcal Conjugate vaccine (PCV), the Rotavirus vaccine, and the second dose of Measles-Containing Vaccine (MCV2) to its routine immunization programme, keeping children safe from pneumonia, measles and diarrhea. South Sudan's Ministry of Health highlighted the progress that has been driven by the Expanded programme on Immunization and called on the people of South Sudan to take an active role by getting vaccinated. 'As we observe African Vaccination Week, we celebrate progress while passing an important message to our communities that individual health is a personal responsibility. It starts with you. While the Government, through its health entities, is working to ensure protection from vaccine-preventable diseases by introducing these new vaccines, the responsibility to make use of them to protect yourself and your family is in your hand,' said Dr Anin Ngot Mou, Under-Secretary of South Sudan's Ministry of Health. Data from the WHO Regional Office for Africa shows that since the celebration of the first African Vaccination Week in 2011, countries in the region have used the occasion to conduct a wide range of activities including advocacy, communications, vaccination campaigns, and other high impact health interventions. As a result, over the past 14 years, more than 180 million individuals of all age groups were reached with different vaccines; an estimated 120 million were reached with Vitamin A supplementation and 100 million children with deworming tablets. The World Health Organization continues to advocate for immunization as a cornerstone of global initiatives aiming to rid the world of vaccine preventable diseases and achieve global health goals. 'Vaccination is the most cost-effective tool to save lives and the first line of defense for protection against disease. WHO commends the Government's efforts and support by partners to ensure the successful introduction of new vaccines into South Sudan's routine immunization programme. 'Prioritizing pregnant women and children will be key to building a safer and healthier population, helping us to save lives and build a robust health system,' said Dr Humphrey Karamagi, WHO Representative for South Sudan. Over the past five decades, immunization has saved more than 154 million lives—an average of over 3 million lives each year. In Africa, immunization has saved over 50 million lives and data modelling shows that in 2024, a child under age 10 in Africa had a 50 per cent higher chance of surviving to their next birthday than they would have had in the absence of vaccination programmes. "The introduction of these new vaccines marks a major milestone in South Sudan's efforts to ensure no child dies or becomes sick because of a vaccine-preventable disease. As we commemorate African Vaccination Week and 50 years of immunization progress, we are reminded of the extraordinary power of vaccines to give every child a fighting chance. UNICEF remains committed to working with the Government and partners to ensure every child, no matter where he or she lives, is reached with life-saving immunization services," said Noala Skinner, UNICEF Representative in South Sudan. Despite ongoing routine vaccination efforts, the program has faced numerous challenges during the reporting year, including outbreaks of measles, yellow fever, cholera, and cVDPV2. Additionally, the influx of returnees and refugees fleeing the Sudan crisis, coupled with severe flooding and consequent internal displacement, has strained health systems. These challenges have, nevertheless, not halted the delivery of immunization services, which continue, both within and outside health facilities, even in affected areas. To address the significant immunization backlog accumulated between 2019 and 2022, as well as to reach children who defaulted on routine vaccinations in 2023 and 2024, the Government of South Sudan has also launched the 'Big Catch-Up' vaccination initiative. This national effort is aimed at identifying and reaching all children under the age of five (0–59 months) who have either missed one or more antigens or have never received any routine immunization doses. Through this initiative, South Sudan is intensifying efforts to close immunity gaps and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, which remain a persistent threat due to low routine coverage in many parts of the country. As part of the campaign, the Ministry of Health—working in close coordination with key partners such as WHO and UNICEF—is rolling out catch-up vaccination activities in 30 counties across the nation. These efforts specifically target 146,054 zero-dose children those who have not received a single dose of any routine vaccine with the full schedule of routine Expanded Programme on Immunization vaccines. It is in this regards that this year the AVW celebrates and recognizes the collective efforts to save and improve countless lives from vaccine-preventable diseases and underscores that immunization for all is an achievable goal. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - South Sudan.
Zawya
25-04-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Campaign in Angola: Vaccination for all is humanly possible
From April 24 to 30, 2025, Angola joins the other countries on the African continent to mark the 15th edition of African Vaccination Week (AVW), an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to promote vaccination as a fundamental right and one of the most effective public health interventions. Under the slogan 'Vaccination for all is humanly possible', this year's campaign highlights the importance of ensuring equitable access to vaccines for all people, especially children with 'zero doses'. In Africa, millions of children have missed out on routine vaccinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions to health services. Angola is among the most affected countries, ranking third on the continent in the number of children with 'zero doses', totaling more than 500,000 children. African Vaccination Week represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen political commitments, mobilize communities, and revitalize the country's national and international partnerships that sustain vaccination programmes. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, vaccination prevents more than 20 potentially fatal diseases and saves around 3 million lives every year. WHO studies also show that investing in vaccination is essential to prevent debilitating diseases such as measles, polio and tuberculosis, significantly reducing healthcare costs by minimizing the need for medical treatment and hospital admissions. Consequently, the benefits go beyond the health sector and result in substantial returns in several dimensions: sustainable economic growth, increased productivity, improved quality of life, higher levels of schooling, and strengthened community resilience. The Angolan government has made significant efforts to strengthen the immunization programme, including allocating a budget for the purchase of vaccines, investing in refrigeration equipment, and plans to introduce new vaccines, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. During the 1st National Forum on Primary Health Care and Immunization, held in June 2022, the Angolan government reaffirmed its commitment to immunization as a strategic platform for achieving universal health coverage. On the occasion, the Minister of Health stressed that 'the investment that Angola has made in the Vaccination Programme is a reflection of the Executive's commitment to strengthening the National Health Service, to increase access, guarantee equity, promote humanization and encourage innovation in essential health services'. To achieve these goals, the country has relied on the continuous support of strategic partners, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Gavi - Alliance for Vaccines, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, to ensure that no child is left behind. However, several challenges remain, namely the limited capacity for adequate storage and transport of vaccines, the lack of local infrastructure to ensure their safe arrival in all communities, the shortage of qualified immunization technicians, and the still insufficient coverage of vaccination services in the country. To strengthen the vaccination system in Angola and help children with incomplete vaccination schemes recover, it is necessary to intensify the actions underway, speeding up the implementation of urgent and crucial measures. These include increased investment by the government, the allocation of more financial resources for healthcare and vaccination programs. It is also essential to improve vaccination infrastructures, support public policies prioritizing health, strengthen immunization programmes, foster collaboration with international partners and the private sector, and actively involve communities. Improving vaccination coverage means, above all, strengthening and expanding fixed, mobile, and advanced vaccination teams at the community level. African Vaccination Week 2025 is, above all, a call to action: to protect every child, every family, and every community. Because vaccinating everyone is possible, and humanly urgent. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - Angola.
