Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  

Subscribe | Past Issues

CELEBRATING WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK!

VACCINES BRING US CLOSER TO A SAFER, HEALTHIER WORLD

Routine immunizations represent one of the most successful and cost effective public health interventions, saving 2-3 million lives each year and protecting children, pregnant women, and people of all ages from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. For 60 years, USAID has invested in science and technology to develop new vaccines, supported the distribution and uptake of underused vaccines, and helped strengthen routine immunization delivery platforms.

COVID-19 has highlighted the challenges for ensuring equitable access to vaccines, yet these barriers to equity are not new. Over the last decade, immunization coverage has been stagnating—and even declining—in many countries, putting communities at risk of preventable infectious diseases. Through disruptions to essential health services, the pandemic has further exacerbated immunization gaps, leaving many children and communities vulnerable to serious diseases like measles and polio. To protect the lives of children and families around the world, USAID recognizes that we must look beyond a particular pathogen, focus on building strong and equitable health systems, and respond to urgent country needs in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. 

This year’s World Immunization Week offers an unprecedented opportunity to recommit to routine immunization and build widespread trust in the value of safe and effective vaccines. Transforming global momentum around COVID-19 vaccines into long-term support for equitable access to routine immunization and stronger health systems is key to building back a better, more resilient world. 

We hope you will join us!

CELEBRATE WORLD IMMUNIZATION WEEK:

• Read about how USAID has supported immunizations over the past 60 years.
• Engage on social media using the hashtag #VaccinesWork!
• Explore how immunizations pave the way to a healthy future for all 
• Learn more about USAID’s response to COVID-19

Photo Credit: Karen Kasmauski/MCSP (Nigeria)