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Africa Vaccination Week – 24 to 30 April 2021
With all eyes currently focused on COVID-19 vaccination, other critical vaccinations must not be forgotten. This is the message of the South African Medical Association (SAMA) ahead of Africa Vaccination Week which runs from 24-30 April.
The theme for this year’s Africa Vaccination Week is “Vaccines Bring us Closer” and comes as the world faces the unprecedented global vaccination campaign against COVID-19.
“Vaccinations save millions of lives every year and immunisation is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful health interventions. Killer diseases like polio, diphtheria and whooping cough have been either completely or nearly completely eliminated in many countries through expanded vaccination programmes over many years. We cannot forget that these vaccinations must also continue amid all the news around COVID-19,” says Dr Angelique Coetzee, Chairperson of SAMA.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are still nearly 20 million children in the world today who are not getting the vaccines they need, and many miss out on vital vaccines during adolescence, adulthood and into old age.
“Sadly, many children have not been vaccinated during the global pandemic, leaving them at risk of serious diseases like measles and polio. COVID-19 has interrupted routine immunization in many African countries, putting thousands more lives at risk. We cannot allow these vaccination programmes to falter, and no effort must be spared to ensure children across the continent receive these crucial immunisations,” notes Dr Coetzee.
She says spreading fear and misinformation around the topic of vaccination adds to this threat.
She notes, “Although vaccine development is complex, the basic mechanism by which vaccines work to protect us against killer diseases is wonderfully simple. Our immune systems are powerful and working all the time to protect us from constant exposure to germs like viruses and bacteria, which cause infections in our bodies.”
Vaccines contain a part of an infection-causing agent, or a weakened version of that agent, which bodies recognise and generate an immune response against. When eventually exposed to the real infection, bodies can quickly respond and prevent the infection from taking hold. Additionally, when people get vaccinated and protected from diseases, they can indirectly also protect those around them, even if they have not been vaccinated.
“If you have been vaccinated so that you don’t get sick with an infectious disease, you are also much less likely to spread it to others. Vaccines are thus critical to the prevention and control of infectious-disease outbreaks. Fewer infections also mean fewer infected people to treat, which helps to protect the effectiveness of antibiotics, and places less strain on healthcare systems,” says Dr Coetzee.
For the majority of vaccine recipients, vaccines are also perfectly safe. Side effects are often related to the body’s own immune response to the vaccine and may include fever, headache, muscle pains, and tiredness. But these symptoms are usually very short-lived and generally mild. While severe side effects, such as allergic reactions, do occur, these are very rare and can usually be managed when recognised early.
“Vaccination is a key component of primary healthcare, and one of the best health investments money can buy. With all eyes focused on the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, other crucial vaccination commitments must not be forgotten. Now, more than ever, we need commitment to vaccination programmes and greater commitments to achieve universal access to immunization for all Africans,” concludes Dr Coetzee.
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