Slogan: “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work” expresses the message of the annual campaign.
Campaign Theme: “Prevent Protect Vaccinate”
The World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Europe announced another year of European Immunization Week. The campaign aims to increase vaccination rates by raising awareness about the importance of vaccination among the general public – parents, caregivers, healthcare professionals, as well as policymakers and media, and
- to emphasize how vaccines have safely protected individuals, families, and communities for generations, and how they also protect our future and future generations;
- to equip healthcare professionals with the skills and tools for clear and empathetic communication about immunization and vaccines, so that hesitant families or those with questions feel informed, heard, and able to make the right decision about vaccination;
- to strengthen public understanding of the science behind vaccine safety and efficacy, enabling individuals, families, and communities to make informed decisions about vaccination; and
- to build trust in vaccines by highlighting transparency, accountability, and continuous innovation in immunization, while also emphasizing the shared responsibility to protect future generations through ongoing investment, research, and equitable access to vaccines.
Vaccination is among the greatest discoveries in the history of medicine. It is the most effective preventive measure, thanks to which we can reduce or completely eliminate the occurrence of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases, thereby preventing their re-emergence. Vaccines have long been one of the most effective public health tools. Over the past 50 years, they have saved more than 150 million lives – not by chance, but because ordinary people chose to protect themselves, their children, and each other. Infectious diseases do not respect national borders and can spread dangerously. As long as the causative agent of an infectious disease continues to circulate in the external environment, also due to the current global movement of populations, there is still a possibility of introducing the infection to Slovakia from countries with high morbidity.
The introduction of vaccination has significantly eliminated these infectious diseases in a short period, with diseases such as smallpox and poliomyelitis being eradicated.
