Timely and appropriate immunizations are critical in protecting the health of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and newborns. During World Immunization Week, April 24-30, we aim to raise awareness of vaccines that are integral in protecting maternal and newborn health.
This year WHO is focusing on “The Big Catch-up.” See their message below:
“World Immunization Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to highlight the collective action needed to protect people from vaccine-preventable diseases. Under the banner of ‘The Big Catch-Up’, WHO is working with partners to support countries to get back on track to ensure more people are protected from preventable diseases. We need to act now to catch-up the millions of children who missed out on vaccines during the pandemic, restore essential immunization coverage to at least 2019 levels and strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization. The ultimate goal of World Immunization Week is for more children, adults – and their communities – to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, allowing them to live happier, healthier lives.”
Resources:
- Pregnancy outcomes and vaccine effectiveness during the period of omicron as the variant of concern, INTERCOVID-2022: a multinational, observational study
- Effectiveness of Maternal Vaccination with mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine During Pregnancy Against COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization in Infants Aged <6 Months — 17 States, July 2021–January 2022
- Integrated delivery of family planning and childhood immunization services: a qualitative study of factors influencing service responsiveness in Malawi