This year’s World Immunization Week runs from 24 April – 30 April 2025 and highlights the critical need to protect all communities against vaccine-preventable diseases and champion that Immunisation for All is Humanly Possible.
Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements. Over the last 50 years, essential vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives. That’s 6 lives a minute, every day, for five decades. In these 50 years, vaccination accounts for 40% of the improvement in infant survival, and more children now live to see their first birthday and beyond than at any other time in human history. Measles vaccine alone accounts for 60% of those lives saved.
Yet there are more lives to be saved by building on these achievements. Globally, 14.5 million children missed all vaccinations in 2023. In today’s interconnected world, an outbreak anywhere is a threat everywhere.
What can you do?
- make sure you are up to date with your routine vaccines
- if going overseas, ensure you see your immunisation provider at least 6 weeks prior to see if there are additional vaccines recommended for you
- share trusted information on vaccines to stop the spread of misinformation.