The last week of April is auspicious as it simultaneously marks the World Health Organization’s World Immunization Week and the African Vaccination Week. They embody the core message of the overarching slogan of the African Vaccination Week, which is ‘Vaccinated communities, Healthy communities’. For rotavirus diarrhoea, while hand washing, exclusive breastfeeding and sanitation are helpful, they are not enough to prevent the disease. This Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is a public-private partnership, has worldwide polio eradication as its sole aim. The 2015 target was to ensure that at least 90 per cent children completed the course of primary vaccination.

Source: The Star April 25, 2018 22:30 UTC