A year since the completion of the vaccination recovery project

A year after the completion of the project “Strengthening the Capacity of Public Health Systems to Increase Vaccination Coverage”, epidemiologists and nurses from the 11 county public health departments (DSPs) involved in the project met to discuss the measures for improving childhood vaccination rates that worked at the local level, as well as the various challenges and limitations faced by teams from Bihor, Brașov, Caraș-Severin, Constanța, Gorj, Hunedoara, Mureș, Sălaj, Suceava, Vaslui, and Vrancea.

The follow-up meeting was made possible with the support of the UNICEF representation in Romania and was attended by public health and epidemiology experts from the National Institute of Public Health, who highlighted the importance of the National Vaccination Strategy and its impact on the National Vaccination Program.

International specialists in immunization and social and behavioral change also joined us to discuss the local implementation of the European Immunization Agenda 2030, which translates to “strategy in action” and will require commitment, involvement, and partnership at all levels.

The implementation team from the Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation was pleased to organize this much-needed and anticipated event and to leave with reflections and best practices to share. This is especially critical as, during the 2021–2022 period, Romania ranked second in the number of children without any vaccine doses in the Central and Eastern Europe region, and its measles vaccination rate fell below 85%, while the WHO recommends 95% coverage with two doses in each country to protect the population from this disease.

A few statements:

• “One in five children has not received any vaccine dose or is under-immunized, thus exposing themselves to a range of vaccine-preventable diseases.”
• “The consequences of failing to vaccinate children can become more severe in the coming years.”
• “Key solutions: Equity in vaccination, developing local solutions to local challenges, and lifelong immunization.”