YOUNG EAP BLOG

APRIL 2023

WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK

“WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK In 2023 a lot still revolves around Coronavirus pandemic and the new available COVID-19 vaccines.But it is still important to stay on track with basic immunization!”

During the pandemic, vaccination rates for children have fallen due to concerns about infection with SARS-CoV-2 and multiple organisational problems. The ‘goalkeepers report’ by Stephen Lim and his team at the University of Washington in collaboration with the GATES foundation found that during the coronavirus pandemic, vaccination rates for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough fell from around 84% to 70% worldwide (1). UNICEF also recently sounded alarm bells when they reported 67 million children missing out on life-saving vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic (2). This problem has not gone away, with the WHO estimating that 25 million children missed out in 2021 alone (3).

The theme of World Immunization Week 2023 is ‘The Big Catch Up’ – we must act now to restore essential immunization coverage back to 2019 levels and strengthen health services including primary care to deliver life saving immunizations (3).

Without vaccines, children will continue to suffer from and die from preventable diseases.

It is therefore our task as paediatricians across Europe to educate, advocate for and protect our patients and their families and have the #VaccinationConversation.

We are there for parents and children with questions and concerns. And we hereby urge the parents to talk to your attending pediatrician about which vaccinations your child needs according to the vaccination recommendations of your respective countries. National routine immunization schedules are based on how children’s immune systems respond to vaccines at various ages and when they are most at risk for disease. Understanding the importance of vaccination can save your life or the life of someone you love.

We as YEAP support the #UnitedInProtection vaccination campaign of the European Commission for World Immunization Week.

In addition, we collected some helpful information for all hard-working doctors in clinics and practices across Europe who carry out vaccinations and help close the gaps:

Goalkeepers report:

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/report/2022-report/progress-indicators/vaccines/

REFERENCES

About the authors:

NORA KARARA

Young EAP Representative for Infection Control/Vaccination
Germany

Nora Karara is a paediatric resident and global public health enthusiast, currently working in youth psychosomatic medicine and pursuing a doctorate at the Charité Universitätsmedizin in Berlin.

She is an active founding member of the Young German Society of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and proud to be a delegate to the European Academy of Paediatrics. She currently holds the position of Representative for Infection control and Prevention, partaking in various Strategic Advisory Groups such as Medicines for Children, Vaccinations, #ImmuHubs and Choosing Wisely.
Nora is excited to be part of the YEAP and sees this as a great opportunity to improve paneuropean physicians’ training, promote child health and – together with her colleagues- bridge the gaps between our countries for a brighter European future in Paediatrics.

SIAN COPLEY

Young EAP Representative for Advocacy
United Kingdom

Sian is a member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Trainees’ Committee and currently works as a third-year resident at the Health Education North East in the UK. In her new role, she looks forward to representing trainees’ views on issues related to child health across Europe, raise awareness of current issues and promote this within paediatric training, as well as to advocate for children’s rights to health.