Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Amsterdam Institute of Global Health and Development, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Pan Afr Med J. 2023 Sep 21;46:32. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2023.46.32.37485. eCollection 2023.
Whilst the largely limited health system and funds are already overstretched while responding to multiple epidemics, ongoing vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) including polio and measles continue to be a public health threat and expose the weaknesses of the public health system in many African countries. The surge in VPD outbreaks during epidemics appears to be a common trend in Africa, often due to reduced vaccination coverage. The World Health Organization reported that, in 2021, nearly 25 million children missed their first measles dose, 5 million more than in 2019. The drop in childhood immunizations was partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused significant interruption in public health services delivery and reduced vaccination coverage. Vaccines help reduce the incidence of VPD. Therefore, effective VPD outbreak response mechanisms and strategies that include ramping up catch-up campaigns for immunization during epidemic troughs including the provision of vaccines outside clinics as well as assessing newer vaccine delivery models during pandemics are essential to minimize the impact of VPD outbreaks during emerging epidemics. Ensuring access to vaccines to address outbreaks and provide supplemental vaccination is essential if we are to be a VPD-free region.
虽然卫生系统和资金在应对多种流行病时已经捉襟见肘，但持续存在的可通过疫苗预防的疾病（VPD），包括脊髓灰质炎和麻疹，仍然对公共卫生构成威胁，并暴露出许多非洲国家公共卫生系统的弱点。在流行病期间，VPD 爆发的激增似乎是非洲的一个普遍趋势，这往往是由于疫苗接种覆盖率降低所致。世界卫生组织报告称，2021 年，近 2500 万名儿童错过第一剂麻疹疫苗，比 2019 年增加了 500 万。儿童免疫接种率下降部分归因于 COVID-19 大流行，该大流行导致公共卫生服务提供严重中断，并降低了疫苗接种覆盖率。疫苗有助于降低 VPD 的发病率。因此，必须建立有效的 VPD 爆发应对机制和策略，包括在流行病低谷期间加强免疫补种运动，包括在诊所外提供疫苗，以及在大流行期间评估新的疫苗接种模式，以尽量减少新兴流行病期间 VPD 爆发的影响。如果我们要成为一个没有 VPD 的地区，那么确保获得疫苗来应对爆发和提供补充疫苗接种是至关重要的。
