Message in favor of value vaccinations for the prevention of serious diseases is directed by the scientific community, which aims to catch up with the vaccination of children, adolescents and adults. WITH pandemic violated routine vaccination against diseases such as measles, tetanus and whooping cough, and on the occasion of World Immunization Week, which runs from 23 to 29 April, scientific societies and medical professionals adopt the slogan World Health Organization The “big catch-up” of the need to restore immunization levels—through vaccines—of populations of all ages to pre-pandemic levels. And, as noted at yesterday’s event by the President of the Hellenic Pulmonological Society, Professor of Pulmonology Stylianos Loukidisto paraphrase the expression for the method of vaccine administration, “we must protect ourselves.”

President of the Hellenic Pediatric Society Andreas Constantinopoulos he mentioned the success of vaccines over time, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the vaccination program. According to him, they contributed to the prevention and disappearance of a number of infectious diseases, and thanks to them, young pediatricians did not encounter diseases such as polio, tetanus and diphtheria. Vaccines prevent approximately 6,000,000 child deaths and 750,000 childhood disabilities worldwide every year. “What by 2020,” he elaborated and added, “in 2021, due to pandemic restrictions, UNICEF estimates that 25,000,000 children missed core vaccinations as well as revaccination. In the same year in Europe, according to the World Health Organization, 1,200,000 children were not vaccinated against measles.

The problem with teenagers

Referring to Greek data, Mr. Konstantinopoulos pointed out that during the second lockdown in 2021, there was a 60% reduction in vaccination of children under five years of age and 95% reduction in vaccination of adolescents compared to the corresponding period before the pandemic. The picture was clearly better during subsequent lockdowns, when the decline was limited to 20% in both age groups, whereas today the problem in our country remains mainly among teenagers, as childhood vaccinations seem to have returned to “normal”.

“Vaccination is the most successful medical intervention for public health. This is one of the main reasons for increasing life expectancy, some also protect against malignant neoplasms, they protect those who do not have free access to health services and those who cannot be vaccinated, creating an umbrella of protection against vaccinated people around them. , stressed Professor of Pediatrics – Epidemiology EKPA, representative of the Hellenic Society of Infectious Diseases Athanasios Michos. He added: “As the Hellenic Society of Infectious Diseases, we would like to emphasize the importance of vaccination not only for infants, children and adolescents, but also for adults, and encourage citizens, in consultation with their doctor, to carry out vaccinations that are lost or delayed.”

Paraskevi Katzaunou, Associate Professor of Pulmonology at the EKPA School of Medicine, mentioned vaccinations that adults should take, especially people with respiratory diseases. These include the new pneumococcal vaccine, which should be given to adults who have never been vaccinated at all, as well as to those who have already been vaccinated (five years after full booster vaccination). It is also recommended to revaccinate adults against whooping cough, which, as Ms Katsaunou mentioned, does not exist in Greece, especially in adults with comorbidities.

In conditions of annual vaccination, it is possible that vaccines against it are being made. COVID-19 predominantly for vulnerable segments of the population. And the experience of antiviral treatment of 20,000 Greek patients with COVID-19 has demonstrated vaccination against the disease as a factor in the “success” of treatment. According to Mr. Loukidis, experience has shown a 70% reduction in hospitalizations, intubations and deaths among treated patients with COVID-19 compared to patients who did not receive antiviral drugs. It turned out that patients who were faithful to their treatment and completed their COVID-19 vaccination had better outcomes.

“Saved Lives”

The event was also attended by Deputy Minister of Health Mina Gaga, who also raised the issue of unscientific anti-vaccination opinions that have been expressed with increasing intensity in recent years. As he said for this reason, “it is important that the message in favor of vaccinations be strong, very resonant for both children and adults,” and noted that “vaccines are the smartest way to protect ourselves and our children from infections.” Millions of children and adults have avoided death or severe disability caused by smallpox and cholera or left behind by polio. And, of course, hundreds of thousands of lives have been saved during the pandemic.”

Numbers

6 million infant mortality is prevented every year around the world by vaccines.

25 million children around the world “missed” routine vaccinations (mostly revaccinations) in 2021 due to the pandemic.

1.2 million children in Europe were not vaccinated against measles in 2021.