The 2024 African Vaccination Week celebration was launched on 3rd May in the community of Madalena, in the district of Mé-zochi.
The event, organized by the Minister of Health, Ângela COSTA, was attended by the President of the District Chamber of Mé-zochi, Anahory Dias, WHO Resident Representative, Dr. Françoise BIGIRIMANA, health professionals, partners, and the community of Madalena. The special event also included a health fair with exhibitions of health and promotional materials, prevention, and care services for the community of Madalena. The community benefited from free primary health care, outpatient consultations, gynecological obstetrics services, sexual and reproductive services, lab exams, ultrasounds, and treatments.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Expanded Immunization Programme (EPI) globally. In São Tomé and Príncipe, it is the 46th anniversary of EPI.
Key results of the immunization program in São Tomé and Príncipe include the elimination of wild Polio and interruption of measles cases. The country recorded its last case of polio in 1982 and measles in 1994.
São Tomé and Príncipe has consistently had high vaccination coverage in the central Africa sub-region. For example, Pentavalent 3 vaccine coverage was 94% compared to 74% for the region in 2019 (source: WHO Report 2019).
WHO Representative, Dr. Françoise BIGIRIMANA, commended São Tomé and Príncipe for its performance, attributing it to high political leadership, commitment from authorities, partners, health professionals, parents, and community leaders.
Over the next three weeks, community health workers and professionals will focus on identifying and vaccinating children with zero doses or incomplete vaccinations in the lowest-performing districts in the country, namely Mé-zochi, Lobata, and Água-Grande.
The reduction in vaccination coverage in São Tomé and Príncipe is concerning, dropping from 94% in 2019 to 86% in 2023 for Pentavalent 3, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic in 2021 and 2022 (source: national EPI report).
The percentage of children fully vaccinated also decreased from 70.2% in 2017 to 65.2% in 2023 (source: National Vaccination Coverage Survey – ICV 2023).
The risk of outbreaks increases if vaccination coverage continues to drop, as stated by the WHO representative. Minister of Health, Angela Costa, called for greater engagement of health professionals, parents, and partners to boost vaccination coverage.
The event also recognized the efforts of top-performing professionals, including nurses, doctors, drivers, and Cantagalo as the best-performing district in immunization.
Dr. Françoise BIGIRIMANA, WHO Representative, announced plans to reinforce technical support through mentoring and capacity building of Expanded Immunization Programme and district teams to improve vaccination coverage, supervision, and data quality. This support will involve developing a new national vaccination strategy with innovative approaches aligned with 2030 vaccination goals.
The celebration of 50 years of EPI emphasized the critical role of vaccination in global health efforts, saving millions of lives. In Africa alone, an estimated 51.2 million lives have been saved through vaccination, increasing life expectancy to 60 years and above for every infant saved.
Key achievements of EPI worldwide include the eradication of smallpox in 1979 and wild poliovirus in 2020. Vaccination has significantly reduced meningitis-related deaths by 39% in Africa from 2000 to 2019. Progress has also been made in eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus in the African region.
The introduction of new vaccines, such as the first-ever malaria vaccine, brings hope for a malaria-free future in Africa. Over 30 countries in the African region have shown interest in the malaria vaccine and are scheduled to roll it out by the end of 2024.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) – Sao Tome and Principe.