European Immunization Week 23–29 April 2018: communications package

Overview

Vaccination is a life-long investment in children’s health and well-being. Thanks to vaccines, most children and adults in the European Region are immune to measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio. An increasing number are also vaccinated against pneumococcal bacteria, human papillomavirus and hepatitis B virus to prevent severe forms of disease and cancers these microbes can cause. Unfortunately the benefits of vaccines are spread unevenly in the European Region, with far too many children missing the protection they deserve.

1 in 15 infants in the European Region missed their first measles-containing vaccine in 2016 and 1 in 21 did not receive all recommended doses of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Uptake of HPV vaccines is still below 50% in some countries. The cost of not vaccinating is clear. Gaps in immunization coverage are an open door for contagious diseases, allowing them to spread among those who are not vaccinated.

Every year thousands of measles cases are detected in this Region and many still suffer unnecessarily from mumps and pertussis. In 2017, the Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication determined that 3 countries in the Region are at risk of a polio outbreak. Most sexually active women and men will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. Among those who are not immunized, HPV infection can cause genital warts or lead to various forms of cancer.