The Youth Cafe joined hands with other civil society organizations and community representatives in this year’s World Immunization Week. The Youth Cafe took the initiative to amplify the campaign within its networks and its vast global membership reach.

The Youth Cafe also joined the conversation in the World Immunization Week Twitter Live with Dr. Katherine O’Brien, Director of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Youth Cafe also employed online campaign methods and resources to advocate for World Immunization Week. We used web banners, social media files, posters, animated GIFS, social media reels and quick tips guides for World Immunization Week.

Each April, World Immunization Week brings together people from around the world to highlight the importance of vaccines and how they protect people of all ages against many diseases, providing opportunities to pursue a life well-lived.

This year’s campaign came at a critical turning point for immunization. After over two years of immunization backsliding caused by COVID-19 pandemic disruptions, we must catch up, restore and strengthen immunization services to reach the millions of people missing out on the life-saving benefits of vaccines and stop outbreaks from accelerating.

In recognition of this historic moment for immunization, World Immunization Week 2023 marked the beginning of a year-long campaign with the theme “The Big Catch-up,” representing a global push to vaccinate millions of children and return to pre-pandemic vaccination levels.

World Immunization Week was supported by the World Health Organization and a wide range of partners, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many more.

Under the theme The Big Catch-up, this year’s World Immunization Week focused on the need to reach the millions of children who missed out on vaccines during the pandemic and highlighted the successes of countries already on the road to recovery.

The Big Catch-up is also a year-long, global push to restore essential immunization coverage and strengthen primary health care to deliver immunization.

The Big Catch-up: Why We Need to Prioritise Catch-up Immunization for Children.

Why it Matters and What We Can Do About It?

As the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, another crisis looms for the millions of children who have missed out on vaccines due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.

This year's World Immunization Week focused on the need to reach these children and highlighted the successes of countries already on the road to recovery. In this article, we delved into the problem, why it matters, and the solution.

The global vaccine coverage rate was increasing steadily prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions of children have missed out on vaccines as a result of the pandemic's impact on vaccination services in numerous nations.

Recent research estimates that in just 2020, 17 million children did not obtain their regular vaccines. This puts these children at risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, polio, and diphtheria, which can cause severe illness, disability, and even death.

What is the Problem, and Why Does it Matter?

The problem is that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted vaccination services, leading to a significant number of children missing out on routine immunizations. Lockdowns, travel restrictions, and a shortage of healthcare workers, among other things, have all contributed to this disturbance.

Children who were previously protected against diseases that can be prevented by vaccination are now at risk of contracting these illnesses, endangering their health and lives.

Since vaccines are one of our most successful public health initiatives and save millions of lives each year, this issue is important. We can lower illness and mortality, enhance general health outcomes, and conserve healthcare resources by stopping the spread of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.

When a significant number of children miss out on vaccines, we lose these benefits, and the burden of disease increases, leading to long-term health and economic consequences.

In conclusion, catch-up immunization is essential for protecting the health and well-being of children who missed out on routine immunizations during the pandemic.

Catch-up immunization must be given top priority to ensure that these children are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases and to prevent future outbreaks. The Youth Cafe, Kenya, urges everyone to support immunization programs and work together to ensure that every child has access to life-saving vaccines. Let us work towards a healthier and more resilient world.