Opening remarks at the regional launch of European Immunization Week 2011

26 April 2011, Brussels, Belgium

I am delighted to be here today gathered with this distinguished group to launch the sixth annual European Immunization Week. I want to thank Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mathilde and Belgium’s health minister for so graciously opening the event this morning. We are very pleased to be holding the regional launch of European Immunization Week in Belgium this year. Belgium has taken part in European Immunization Week since its inception in 2005 – as one of only a handful of pioneering countries – and we are grateful for its enthusiastic commitment every year since. This year, we are proud to have the participation of 52 countries and to be able to say that European Immunization Week has grown into one of the most visible public health events in the European Region. This is thanks to the commitment and involvement of the countries and the support of our regional partners – many of them represented here today.

This year, European Immunization Week promotes the message “shared solutions to common threats”, a theme that evolved out of the sombre threats materializing in the Region in 2010. Although the countries in our Region are certainly diverse, the common threats of vaccine-preventable diseases affect each and every country. In 2010, we witnessed explosive measles outbreaks continuing in the western part of the Region and the re-emergence of poliomyelitis at a time when we would have celebrated 10 years of polio-free status in 2012. The polio outbreak in the central Asian republics marked the first time the Region had seen a case of polio in more than a decade. In 2011, countries continue to battle measles outbreaks, with more than 24 countries reporting upwards of 4000 cases in the first quarter of this year. We clearly still have much work to do on immunization. It disheartens me to see our strong Region facing this slippery slope of losing the significant gains, knowing what the consequences will be: increased illness, lifelong disability and deaths.

However, on the positive side, we have witnessed countries mount effective responses to many of these outbreaks, by applying lessons learned, conducting joint planning and ensuring strong collaboration between all countries in the Region.

In my first year as the Regional Director, I have visited many Member States and have had the chance to listen and learn about your experiences. With shared borders and considerable population movement in the Region, countries do face common health threats. Strong partnerships among countries are therefore needed to prevent and control vaccine-preventable diseases in our Region. I strongly believe that only through sharing experience, developing joint plans and implementing preventive measures will we ensure that the Region reaches the 2012 global polio eradication goal and the 2015 regional goal for measles and rubella elimination, while contributing to the 2015 Millennium Development Goals to end poverty. I commend all of you for being here today. Your presence shows your commitment to these goals – and I look forward to discussing how we can work together during the roundtable.

The WHO Regional Office for Europe, in partnership with all Member States, shares the responsibility to strengthen advocacy, increase political commitment and ensure that enough resources are made available to achieve our collective immunization goals. We all share the social responsibility – as parents, health care providers and decision-makers – to boost vaccination levels and advocate for immunization. By doing so, we can ensure that our children remain healthy and safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.

At this critical moment, let us ensure that our Region remains a global leader in immunization through strengthened and accelerated shared responses. Today, we celebrate our collective achievements in immunization, and I urge each one of us to focus his or her dedication and commitment on meeting these goals. I want to assure everyone that we have effective tools, and we will continue to engage political leaders, public health experts, academe, institutes and the public to reach these goals. This is a marathon with the finish line now in sight – we need to urgently press on to meet the milestones we have set and to win. It can be done!

Thank you.