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Global Immunization Challenges
One in
four children is excluded
Despite the spectacular gains achieved by the WHO’s Expanded Programme
for Immunization during the 1980s, one in four children did not receive
routine immunization with the six basic vaccines against polio,
diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, measles and tuberculosis in 1998,
according to WHO figures. The proportion of
children immunized each year against these six diseases is currently
declining. Whereas the reported total was about 80 per cent in 1990 it
fell to 74 per cent in 1998.
(Source: WHO Vaccine Preventable Diseases Monitoring System,
1999
Global Summary)
Global
statistics from eight vaccine-preventable diseases
|
Disease
|
Annual
cases (estimated)
|
Annual
deaths (estimated)
|
|
Polio
|
3500
|
720
|
|
Diphtheria
|
30,000
|
5 000
|
|
Pertussis
|
45
million
|
346 000
|
|
Measles
|
30-40
million
|
888 000
|
|
Tetanus (including 215 000 neonatal)
|
Not
available
|
410 000
|
|
Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib)
|
2-3
million
|
400 000
|
|
Hepatitis B
|
Not
available
|
900 000
|
|
Yellow fever
|
200,000
|
30 000
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
2 979 720
|
|
*hepatitis B actual deaths based on projections of future mortality resulting
from current annual infection rate
|
Global statistics from three diseases for which vaccines are not yet
globally available
|
Disease
|
Annual cases (estimated)
|
Annual deaths (estimated)
|
|
Pneumococcal pneumonia
|
Not available
|
1 million
|
|
Rotavirus
|
125 million
|
600,000
|
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Meningitis AC
|
300,000
|
25,000 -30,000
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The ’vaccine
gap’ between rich and poor children is widening
Beyond the
six basic vaccines, newer vaccines, such as those for hepatitis B,
Haemophilus influenzae B (Hib), and yellow fever are now widely used in
developed countries. While children in developing countries may have
access to six or seven vaccines, their peers in industrialized countries
can now expect to receive 11 or 12. Thus the gap between rich and poor
children is widening.
(Source:The World Bank)
More vaccines are needed
As well as
the challenges of increasing access to existing vaccines, there are
additional challenges for research and development. For example, HIV,
tuberculosis and malaria now cause a combined annual death toll of about
5 million yet, despite promising leads, no vaccines against HIV and
malaria have yet been licensed and additional vaccines against TB are
urgently needed.
Selected
major killers not yet preventable by immunization
|
Disease
|
Estimated annual deaths (millions)
|
|
HIV
|
2.6
|
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Tuberculosis
|
1.5
|
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Malaria
|
1.1
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Total
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5.2
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Source: WHO
1999
[More disease information]
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