Professor Alain Fischer (info@concertation-vaccination.fr), doctor, professor of paediatric immunology, director of the Institute Imagine, holder of the chair of Experimental Medicine of the Collège de France and President of the Steering Committee for the Citizen Consultation initiative.

Catharina de Kat, Communications, Web and Information Officer
Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunization

Emerging infectious diseases have a potential for great harm, spreading unchecked in naïve populations, usually poorly prepared to deal with the new threat. The devastating effect of infectious diseases is most strongly felt in low income countries, where the health infrastructure and preparedness plans are at best insufficient.

The fact that some vaccine preventable diseases have disappeared or are very rare following these vaccination programs can lead to parents believing there is no more need to vaccinate. Therefore, it is of huge importance that events like the European Immunization, helping maintain vaccination awareness and giving accurate and understandable information on immunization, exist. In this way, public confidence in immunization is less susceptible to be influenced by groups, websites or campaigns against vaccination. By acknowledging that every child deserves a healthy start in life, countries can use the European Immunization Week to increase awareness of the importance of immunization and to strengthen their immunization systems.