At the start of European Immunization Week, the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in North Macedonia highlight vaccination as a public good that underpins our society, protects health and saves lives.
With the theme “Vaccines bring us closer”, this year’s European Immunization Week showcases the role vaccines play in preventing the spread of many diseases and protecting life. Through observing European Immunization Week in North Macedonia this year, the Ministry of Health and partners aim at raising awareness of the value of immunization, highlighting the importance of maintaining routine vaccination and gaining the public’s confidence about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, for protecting the health workforce and helping to end the pandemic.
“Public health and social measures help slow down the virus spread, but COVID-19 vaccination is a vital tool to end the pandemic and we are making every effort to get vaccines for the entire population,” said Health Minister Venko Filipche.
Throughout the outbreak, he added, we made specific efforts to balance maintaining essential immunization services at all ages, with making the most of the current national expertise, resources and our good track record in vaccination to ensure readiness and delivery of COVID-19 vaccination in a safe way.
“Immunization efforts included working in partnership with UNICEF and WHO on the development of the national COVID-19 vaccination plan, overcoming supply, storage and logistics challenges whereby a functional supply chain, trained health workers and vaccinators are readily in place,” Filipche underlined.
Jihane Tawilah, WHO Representative to North Macedonia, explained that immunization is a flagship initiative of the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health in Europe”.
“As one of the most proven cost-effective health protection means, immunization should benefit everyone, everywhere. Vaccines are collective public goods, for which access and benefit should be shared by all equitably. If routine immunization is neglected because of COVID-19, the impact will be felt long after the pandemic is over. Through years of effort to ensure everyone is protected through vaccination, we are getting closer to eliminating a number of diseases such as measles, but to protect this progress, high coverage with routine vaccination must be maintained at all cost. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination is a critical intervention to help end the COVID-19 pandemic so that we can finally be closer to each other again,” Tawilah noted.
UNICEF Representative to North Macedonia Patrizia DiGiovanni said that after a year of lockdowns, empty classrooms and cancelled family gathering, people all over the world are starting to get a COVID-19 vaccine or awaiting the moment when they will.
“We all know COVID-19 vaccines are the best hope we have of resuming our normal lives and bringing us closer. It’s also an important reminder of the critical role that other vaccines – including routine vaccines for children – in allowing us to live our everyday lives,” she added.
COVID-19, the Health Ministry, WHO and UNICEF said in a joint press release marking the start of European Immunization Week, has disrupted many services and while we see a reduction in demand for services delivered to children on diagnostics, treatment of chronic illnesses and primary healthcare – due to parents fearing that children will contract COVID-19 – it is promising that the demand and delivery of routine vaccination for children have remained unaffected to a large extent.
Misinformation and disinformation, the press release read, can induce vaccine hesitancy and hinder an effective vaccination response to the pandemic. In the fight against COVID-19, partners are also calling for greater engagement to ensure access to information and advice from trusted sources. Open and objective communications help people make informed decisions and understand the importance of vaccination as the most effective means, together with measures such as contact tracing physically distancing, masks and hand washing, to end the pandemic.
