From April 24 to 30, 2025, Angola joins the opposite nations on the African continent to mark the fifteenth version of African Vaccination Week (AVW), an initiative led by the World Well being Group (WHO), which goals to advertise vaccination as a basic proper and probably the most efficient public well being interventions.
Underneath the slogan “Vaccination for all is humanly potential”, this yr’s marketing campaign highlights the significance of making certain equitable entry to vaccines for all folks, particularly kids with “zero doses”. In Africa, hundreds of thousands of youngsters have missed out on routine vaccinations as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and different disruptions to well being companies. Angola is among the many most affected nations, rating third on the continent within the variety of kids with “zero doses”, totaling greater than 500,000 kids.
African Vaccination Week represents a strategic alternative to strengthen political commitments, mobilize communities, and revitalize the nation’s nationwide and worldwide partnerships that maintain vaccination programmes. In keeping with World Well being Group (WHO) knowledge, vaccination prevents greater than 20 probably deadly ailments and saves round 3 million lives yearly.
WHO research additionally present that investing in vaccination is important to stop debilitating ailments similar to measles, polio and tuberculosis, considerably decreasing healthcare prices by minimizing the necessity for medical remedy and hospital admissions.
Consequently, the advantages transcend the well being sector and lead to substantial returns in a number of dimensions: sustainable financial progress, elevated productiveness, improved high quality of life, increased ranges of education, and strengthened group resilience.
The Angolan authorities has made important efforts to strengthen the immunization programme, together with allocating a finances for the acquisition of vaccines, investing in refrigeration gear, and plans to introduce new vaccines, such because the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
Through the 1st Nationwide Discussion board on Major Well being Care and Immunization, held in June 2022, the Angolan authorities reaffirmed its dedication to immunization as a strategic platform for reaching common well being protection. On the event, the Minister of Well being burdened that “the funding that Angola has made within the Vaccination Programme is a mirrored image of the Govt’s dedication to strengthening the Nationwide Well being Service, to extend entry, assure fairness, promote humanization and encourage innovation in important well being companies”.
To attain these targets, the nation has relied on the continual help of strategic companions, such because the World Well being Group (WHO), the United Nations Youngsters’s Fund (UNICEF), Gavi – Alliance for Vaccines, the World Financial institution, the United Nations Improvement Program (UNDP), the Invoice and Melinda Gates Basis, amongst others, to make sure that no youngster is left behind.
Nonetheless, a number of challenges stay, specifically the restricted capability for satisfactory storage and transport of vaccines, the shortage of native infrastructure to make sure their secure arrival in all communities, the scarcity of certified immunization technicians, and the nonetheless inadequate protection of vaccination companies within the nation.
To strengthen the vaccination system in Angola and assist kids with incomplete vaccination schemes get better, it’s obligatory to accentuate the actions underway, rushing up the implementation of pressing and essential measures. These embody elevated funding by the federal government, the allocation of extra monetary assets for healthcare and vaccination applications.
It is usually important to enhance vaccination infrastructures, help public insurance policies prioritizing well being, strengthen immunization programmes, foster collaboration with worldwide companions and the personal sector, and actively contain communities. Enhancing vaccination protection means, above all, strengthening and increasing mounted, cellular, and superior vaccination groups on the group stage.
African Vaccination Week 2025 is, above all, a name to motion: to guard each youngster, each household, and each group. As a result of vaccinating everybody is feasible, and humanly pressing.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Well being Group (WHO) – Angola.
