Statement for EIW 2021 - This week we celebrate the role of vaccines in bringing us closer

27 April 2021

European Immunization Week this year is like no other we have celebrated before. Today we are in the midst of an unprecedented COVID-19 vaccine rollout across the world that offers us optimism that “vaccines will bring us closer” again. This optimism is embedded in the knowledge that with high uptake of vaccines and adherence to public health measures we can beat this pandemic.

While this context is new, the vital role of vaccines in protecting lives and livelihoods is not. By preventing many serious early-childhood infectious diseases, routine vaccinations help children grow into healthy adults. Other vaccinations early in life help prevent liver and cervical cancer many years later. These impacts in turn help to reduce inequalities in health, education and income, and even reduce the threat of antibiotic resistance.

European Immunization Week celebrates this role every year by focusing on the importance of maintaining high coverage with routine immunizations. The new European Programme of Work that we call United Action for Better Health embarks to further highlight this role by designating immunization as one of our flagship initiatives. This special emphasis on immunization reflects not just the impressive impact that vaccines have on overall health in this Region, but also the opportunity for populations to reap even greater benefits from vaccines already in the routine schedule and those yet to be introduced. We have not tapped the full potential benefits of vaccines to protect people of all ages from serious infectious diseases. There are still gaps in vaccination coverage that put especially the most vulnerable at risk. COVID-19 has shown us that inequity in opportunities for good health, including vaccination, hurts everyone.

This week we celebrate the role of vaccines in bringing us closer. Together with our partners, WHO is working closely with all our Member States to get COVID-19 vaccines to every eligible person in the Region and to ensure that routine immunizations continue uninterrupted during this challenging time. #Vaccineswork