The World Health Organization set World Immunization Week in the last week of April every year aiming to highlight the collective action needed and to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.
In line with this year’s theme: ‘‘The Big Catch-Up” strenuous efforts must be made for the children who missed the chance to receive vaccines during the Covid-19 period and for taking doses of relevant vaccines to age-wise children in time in order to prevent infection of diseases along their lives.
Globally, measles alone prevented the loss of life of some 23 million children between 2010 and 2018. Moreover, regular immunization and catch-up vaccination could protect the children of the people against more than 20 diseases which pose danger to their lives. In fact, regular immunization also saved some 24 million global people from poverty.
The Public Health Department under the Ministry of Health rises immunization measures in townships of Nay Pyi Taw Council Area as well as regions and states during the period from 24 to 30 April designated as World Immunization Week. Thanks to immunization projects, the World Health Organization recognized Myanmar as tetanus free in 2010 and polio-free in 2014. Hence, it is necessary to sustain the existing success in the work process by enhancing the coverage of regular immunization across the nation.
The government decided to implement the project for catch-up immunization for children under five throughout the nation in 2023. As such, officials at different levels have to negotiate with the local authorities for further promotion of primary healthcare services including immunization.
On the other hand, people need to join hands with the health staff to receive relevant immunization and not cause an outbreak of a pandemic based on absence to receive relevant immunization. If the children receive vaccines and immunization in time, they can overcome the suffering impacts of any diseases. Practically, children who have received the necessary vaccines full-time can easily endure the infection of diseases.
If middle-class income countries and low-income countries invest one US dollar in measles vaccine, the immunization process arranged by the World Health Organization will save $76.5 as the return on investment. As such, all the entire people need to arrange immunization for their children without fail to save the lives of their children to be free from diseases and to take advantage of investment in the catch-up and regular vaccination of Measles.
