Vaccination – a life-saving tool
Vaccination is one of our best and most cost-effective health initiatives for preventing illness and premature death. Over the past 50 years, 154 million deaths have been averted due to global vaccination efforts. Of these, 101 million were infants (WHO, 2024). Norway contributes to research and development, procurement and delivery of vaccines in developing countries. This includes as a rapid response to pandemics and regional outbreaks.
What
Vaccination is important for public health and for individuals.
Safe and effective vaccines against infectious diseases are a key component of vaccination programmes. To succeed, vaccines must have a broad reach. Health services that reach the entire population, popular trust and availability of vaccines are crucial to ensure successful vaccination programmes. Strengthening national health systems in developing countries is therefore important to sustainable vaccination programmes.
Vaccination is a preventive measure against infectious diseases. Vaccination is associated particularly with childhood vaccinations, but vaccination is also relevant to other groups, such as during a pandemic.
Over the past 50 years, vaccination against 14 diseases accounted for 40 per cent of the decline in infant mortality globally and more than50 per centin the African region (WHO, 2024). Of the vaccines included in the study, the measles vaccination had the most significant impact on reducing infant mortality, accounting for 60 percent of the lives saved due to vaccination (WHO, 2024).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gavi established COVAX to ensure that low and lower-middle income countries had access to COVID-19 vaccines. By the end of 20232, COVAX had delivered nearly 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines to 146 countries. It is that the vaccines delivered through COVAX averted more than 2.7 million deaths in 92 prioritized low- and lower middle income countries. COVAX was closed end of year 2023.
Why
Developing countries often have weak health systems and challenges in accessing vaccines. This is often the result of a lack of purchasing power. Countries also havedifferent disease burdens.It is therefore important to develop vaccines to respond to the burden of disease in different regions, and to ensure that countries have access.
How
Norway supports both research and development of vaccines, as well as the procurement and delivery of vaccines in developing countries. Research and development of vaccines can be considered a global public good.
Key partners for Norway when it comes to vaccination include Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, CEPI, , WHO and UNICEF. The latter two are part of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, together with the World Bank and others. Norway also works closely with other donors.
Norway helped launch Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance in 2000 to ensure that low-income countries had access to important childhood vaccines at the lowest possible price. Norway has remained one of the largest donors to Gavi ever since. Gavi has helped vaccinate more than 1 billion children and prevent more than 17 million deaths between 2000 and 2022. Gavi recently assumed a greater role within global health security and regional production of vaccine on the African continent.
WHO has a global function as a normative and advisory body in the field of health, which includes vaccination. For developing countries that do not have their own institutes of public health, and other advisory bodies, WHO can play a particularly important role as an advisory body – which we experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to its global role, WHO also has regional and national offices. WHO is an important partner in Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.
UNICEF is a key stakeholder within children’s health, vaccination and the development of primary health services. UNICEF has a strong presence in developing countries – as well as a regional and global presence. UNICEF is an important partner in Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.
Sources:
- WHO (2024): Global immunization efforts have saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years (who.int) Date read 12 June 2024
- Gavi (2023): Annual report 2022. https://www.gavi.org/progress-report Date of reading 12 June 2024.
Links
- Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance: https://www.gavi.org
- The Lancet (2024): Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on immunization. Shattock, Andrew J et al. The Lancet, Volume 403, Issue 10441, 2307 – 2316. Lenke: Contribution of vaccination to improved survival and health: modelling 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization - The Lancet
- CEPI: Home page | CEPIWHO: Vaccines and immunization (who.int)
- Unicef: Immunization | UNICEF
Contact
Department for Human Development