As we told you a few days ago, we are in the World Immunization Week, which aims to promote one of the most powerful instruments for health: the use of vaccines to protect (immunize) people of all ages from different diseases.
Immunization protects infants to the elderly against diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis A and B, measles, mumps, pneumococcal diseases, polio, rotavirus diarrhea, tetanus or yellow fever.
Just yesterday, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative presented a comprehensive six-year plan aimed at eradicating all types of disease simultaneously, both the wild polio virus and the cases derived from vaccines. The new plan capitalizes on a great opportunity to eradicate polio, because the number of children paralyzed by this disease is at its lowest level, 223 in 2012 and 19 to date during this year.
The urgency is due to great advances in 2012 as the window of opportunity is limited to take advantage of this progress and put an end to poliovirus transmission before countries that are free of this disease suffer again. new infections
After several millennia fighting polio, This plan puts us very close to the end of the whole process. We have new knowledge about polio viruses, new technologies and new tactics to reach the most vulnerable communities. The extensive experience, infrastructure and knowledge gained in the task of ending polio can help reach all children and all communities with essential health services
The Plan is based on the lessons learned in the successful campaign to eliminate polio in India at the beginning of 2012, incorporates cutting-edge knowledge about the risk of the circulation of vaccine-derived polio viruses, and It complements the selective Emergency Action Plans that have been implemented since last year in the rest of the countries where polio is endemic - Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria - including current approaches to vaccinating children in insecure areas.
During the World Vaccine Summit in Abu Dhabi, world leaders announced their confidence in the ability of the plan to achieve a polio-free world by 2018 and pledged their financial and political support to implement it. The support of a group of philanthropists who financially support the new Plan has been achieved.
Ending polio will not only be a historic achievement for humanity, but also an important part of our efforts to reach all children living in the most remote places with a set of life-saving vaccines
The World Health Organization ensures that the benefits of immunization are not only applicable to children, because they extend to adolescents and adults, protecting them against different diseases such as influenza or meningitis. However today there is still a 1.5 million children under the age of five who die of diseases that could be avoided through existing vaccines.
