Launch of National Awareness Campaign on the need for Immunisation

The government has partnered with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) to launch an awareness campaign on the importance of the National immunisation programme and its benefits to the public.

The campaign launched under the theme ‘Let sleeping demons sleep’ aims to strengthen the Government’s efforts to eliminate serious diseases such as Polio, Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Haemophilias Influenza type B, Measles, Rubella and Japanese Encephalitis.

“Vaccine preventable diseases are serious and continue to threaten the lives of children and adolescents” said Minister if Health, Maithripala Sirisena.

“Failing to immunise can lead to severe health complications, disabilities and even cause death,” added the Minister.

The Minister of Education, Bandula Gunawardena who endorsed the awareness campaign said that “Teachers, parents and the general public must be made aware of the critical importance of immunisation to maintain the health of the nation’s children.”

“Sri Lanka has been a leader in immunisation and was the first country in the region to control the dreaded polio through mass immunisation,” stated UNICEF Representative, Reza Hossaini.

Hossaini also noted that “it is critical to sustain these efforts, so that every child of the present and future generations continues to benefit.”

Immunization is a proven tool for controlling and eliminating life threatening infectious diseases and is estimated to avert over two million deaths globally each year.

Ministry of Health, Epidemiological Unit, Chief Epidemiologist, Dr Paba Palihawadana said “Our vaccines are safe, effective and maintained by a highly efficient cold chain system.”

All vaccines used in the National immunisation programme in Sri Lanka strictly adhere to the high quality and safety standards recommended by the WHO.

Since 1978 sustained efforts by the Government with the support from UNICEF and WHO  has led to elimination of Polio, Diphtheria, Neonatal Tetanus and a significant reduction of many other vaccine preventable diseases, making Sri Lanka’s immunization programme one of the most successful in the world.

Key facts regarding immunization are that, immunizations have cut most vaccine preventable diseases by more than 99 percent.

 Globally, nearly three million children die, 200,000 are paralyzed and 150,000 are blinded by diseases which are preventable by immunisation. Measles alone kills 1.6 million children each year and vaccination against it reduces child mortality by 30 percent.

In addition the number of children dying every year has fallen below 10 million, the result of increased immunisation coverage, improved access to clean water and sanitation and better health care services, highlighted the WHO.