Child Health 37
Expanding Vaccination Coverage The Challenge
The Solution
Vaccination may be the most effective public health intervention of all time. But incomplete vaccination coverage is responsible for large numbers of preventable child deaths every year. According to UNICEF, a quarter of the world’s children – about 26 million infants – are not immunized against the worst diseases.
Vaccination is the most effective way of protecting children against pneumococcal disease, Hib infection and Rotavirus infection.
The three vaccine-preventable diseases responsible for the most child deaths are pneumococcal disease, rotavirus infection, and Hib infection (see graphic, right). Pneumococcal disease and Hib infection (or Haemophilus influenza type b) are both serious diseases and are caused by bacteria which can attack different parts of the body. In the lungs, infection can cause bacterial pneumonia; in the bloodstream it can cause bacteremia; in the brain it can cause meningitis. Either disease can cause death or leave a child with severe neurological conditions such as deafness, blindness, or intellectual impairment. Rotavirus infection is a viral infection of the intestine, and can cause fever, vomiting, and severe diarrhea. It spreads very easily from one child to another. It can cause malnutrition, leaving lasting impacts on a child’s life.
When the World Health Organization’s Expanded Program on Immunization was launched in 1974, less than 5% of the world’s children were immunized during their first year of life against major killer diseases. The program helped countries establish the infrastructure needed to introduce and deliver a standard vaccine package. Now, nearly 79% of children receive life-saving vaccinations. However, coverage is widely incomplete.
Disease Pneumococcal Disease Rotavirus Infection Hib Infection
Number of deaths in children under the age of five, 2002 716,000 402,000 386,000
Guide to Giving