European Immunization Week 23–29 April 2018: communications package

EUROPEAN IMMUNIZATION WEEK 23-29 APRIL 2018 Communications package 2CONTENTS BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE ................................. 3 THEME ........................................................................... 4 KEY MESSAGES ............................................................. 5 CAMPAIGN MATERIALS ................................................ 6 RESOURCES .................................................................. 7 CONNECT ...................................................................... 8 3BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Background Vaccination is a life-long investment in chilidren’s health and well-being. Thanks to vaccines, most children and adults in the European Region are immune to measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio. An increasing number are also vaccinated against pneumococcal bacteria, human papilomavirus and hepatitis B virus to prevent severe forms of disease and cancers these microbes can cause. Unfortunately the benefits of vaccines are spread unevenly in the European Region, with far too many children missing the protection they deserve. 1 in 15 infants in the European Region missed their first measles-containing vaccine in 2016 and 1 in 21 did not receive all recommended doses of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Uptake of HPV vaccines is still below 50% in some countries. The cost of not vaccinating is clear. Gaps in immunization coverage are an open door for contagious diseases, allowing them to spread among those who are not vacci- nated. Every year thousands of measles cases are detected in this Region and many still suffer unnecessarily from mumps and pertussis. In 2017, the Regional Certifica- tion Commission for polio eradication determined that 3 countries in the Region are at risk of a polio outbreak. Most sexually active women and men will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. Among those who are not immunized, HPV infection can cause genital warts or lead to various forms of cancer. Objective The objective of European Immunization Week (EIW) 2018 is to sustain momentum toward a European Region free of vaccine-preventable diseases by raising awareness of the importance of vaccination as an individual right and a shared responsibility. In conjunction with other regional initiatives and World Immunization Week, the European Region will utilize EIW 2018 as an opportunity to highlight how vaccines work to protect individuals and their communities and to help achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals. The week will also be celebrated in other WHO regions and globally as World Immunization Week (WIW): http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2018/world-immunization-week/en/ 4THEME Immunization is a right and a responsibility. Every person deserves to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases and plays a vital role in protecting others by choosing to vaccinate. Tagline: Vaccines work to protect you and those around you from serious diseases #Vaccineswork #immunizeEurope European Immunization Week 2018 activities and materials will seek to: • raise awareness of how vaccines work to protect health, both for those who are vaccinated and, through herd immunity, for those who cannot be vaccinated; • remind teens, parents and health care professionals to make evidence- informed choices about immunization and share only evidence-based information; • make parents aware of the importance of keeping their family’s immunizations up to date, for their own protection as well as for the protection of others; • encourage health authorities and health professionals to raise awareness about vaccines to help sustain demand for vaccination. 5KEY MESSAGES This communications package is designed to support EIW stakeholders, by providing them with consistent messages with which to develop EIW materials and communi- cate with the media, health professionals, decision-makers and the general public. Please select the messages that apply to your particular immunization priorities and/or challenges – or use alternative messages that are more relevant to your spe- cific needs. • #Vaccineswork to protect people of all ages from potentially dangerous diseases. • Every person deserves to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases and plays a vital role in protecting others by choosing to vaccinate. • When all eligible individuals are fully vaccinated those who cannot be vaccinated are also protected through herd immunity. • Consult with your doctor and check your family’s immunization records to make sure that you are all fully protected. • False information can influence choices and endanger lives. Get the facts and share only evidence-based information about vaccines. • Health professionals are the most trusted source of information about vaccines for their patients. Raising awareness about vaccines saves lives. • Equitable access to immunization is the right of every individual and community. • Immunization helps us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. • Immunization keeps us protected together. More information on WHO recommendations for routine immunization are available on the WHO website: http://www.who.int/immunization/policy/immunization_tables/en/ 6CAMPAIGN MATERIALS #Vaccineswork to protect you and those around you Do your part to #immunizeEurope! © WHO/3/2018 Herd immunity www.euro.who.int/vaccines HOW VACCINES WORK When you and nearly everyone else in your community is immune to a contagious disease, it cannot spread easily. Together you prevent the virus or bacteria from reaching those who cannot be vaccinated against it, including babies too young for the vaccine and individuals with health conditions or who are undergoing treatments that weaken their immune systems. Vaccines contain a modified form of virus or bacteria that doesn’t cause disease, but does “teach” your immune system what to do if you are ever attacked by the real, potentially dangerous virus or bacteria. For some diseases, more than one dose of the vaccine, or a booster dose later in life, may be needed to ensure full and lasting protection. When you get vaccinated, your immune system responds just as it does to any other “intrusion”, by creating antibodies to fight off the particular virus or bacteria. Consult with your doctor and check your family’s immunization records to make sure that you are all fully protected. After vaccination your body remembers this specific intruder. If you ever come in contact with the real virus or bacteria, the right antibodies quickly destroy it – before it has the chance to make you sick. PROTECTION FOR ALL Thanks to the measles vaccine, the number of measles cases in the WHO European Region has dropped by over 90% since the 1990s. But the virus still spreads wherever it can find enough people to infect. By stopping the chain of infection, vaccinated children and adults prevent the virus from potentially reaching babies too young to be vaccinated and people who cannot be vaccinated because of weakened or impaired immune systems. At least 95% immunization coverage is needed to achieve this ‘herd immunity’ protection for all. #Vaccineswork to protect you and those around you BEFORE VACCINES Measles is one of the most contagious diseases affecting humans. Before vaccines were available, there was no way to stop the disease from spreading. Each time a community was exposed to the virus, nearly everyone who had not been infected before contracted the disease. Many suffered serious complications such as pneumonia, deafness or diarrhoea, and many died. Herd immunity protects vulnerable children and adults who cannot be vaccinated. HERD IMMUNITY Fighting measles is a SHARED responsibility BUILDING THE HERD Measles moves quickly. The higher the number of vulnerable individuals there are in a community, the higher each person’s individual risk will be of contracting the disease. As more and more people are vaccinated, it becomes more difficult for the virus to find someone new to infect. Do your part to #immunizeEurope! © WHO/3/2018 #Vaccineswork Do your part to to protect you and those around you from serious diseases #immunizeEurope © WHO/2018 Infographic I How vaccines work Infographic II Herd Immunity: fighting measles is a shared responsibility Poster Infographic III Measles Infographic IV Rubella YOU CAN STOP MEASLES Two doses of measles vaccines provide nearly 100% protection against measles. 2017: 21 315 cases 2016: 5273 cases Measles REMAINS A THREAT in the WHO European Region www.euro.who.int/vaccines Do your part to #immunizeEurope DID YOU KNOW... 1 IN 5 CASES may develop severe disease or complications, such as ear infection, pneumonia, permanent deafness, encephalitis or even death. Measles spreads quickly within and across communities unless herd immunity is sustained. Measles is more infectious than influenza. 6 TIMES © WHO/CISID data as of 2 February 2018 Measles vaccines are safe and eective. They undergo rigorous testing and have a very good safety record after 50 years of use. #Vaccineswork to protect you and those around you MEASLES and serious diseaseis a highly contagious 40000 2011 2012 2013 2014 YOU CAN STOP RUBELLA Rubella vaccines are safe and . They undergo rigorous testing and have a very Vaccination provides nearly 100% protection against rubella, and has led to a drastic reduction in rubella cases. www.euro.who.int/vaccineseur .who nt muny 9 out of 10 women infected with the rubella virus early in pregnancy will lose their baby, or it will be born with congenital rubella syndrome. © WHO/CISID data as of 2 February 2018 Protect the next generation by making sure you and your family are fully vaccinated. 2014: 6529 cases 2011: 9464 cases DID YOU KNOW... 2013: 39 562 cases 2012: 29 601 cases RUBELLA is a contagious disease that can lead to or birth defects. miscarriage, early delivery 2017 10000 20000 30000 2017: 713 cases Children born with congenital rubella brain damage, hearing impairment, eye and heart defects. h eEurop #Vaccineswork e! Do your part to #immunizeEurope! Babies of unvaccinated women remain at risk as long as rubella is circulating anywhere in the WHO European Region good safety record after nearly 50 years of use. 7RESOURCES The WHO Regional Office for Europe encourages immunization stakeholders at na- tional and local levels to get involved in EIW by joining or organizing campaigns. The following resources, available at http://www.euro.who.int/eiw2018, can help you get started in the weeks leading up to EIW 2018. • Background document: Why is EIW important? • EIW guidelines for planning, PR and working with the media • EIW meeting folders, posters and other materials • Information materials for health workers and the general public • Advocacy tools for policy-makers and health authorities Global materials with the “Vaccines work” theme are available on the WHO head- quarters website: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2018/world-immunization-week/en/ 8CONNECT To promote your EIW initiatives, see what is being planned near you and connect with other EIW stakeholders, visit the Immunize Europe Forum: www.immunize-europe.org For more information please contact eueiw@who.int Document number: WHO/EURO:2018-3359-43118-60358 © World Health Organization 2018 All rights reserved.