Africa Vaccination Week.

Luanda, April 24, 2025 - From April 24 to 30, 2025, Angola joins the other countries of the African continent to mark the 15th edition of the African Vaccination Week (SAV), an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims to promote vaccination as a fundamental right and one of the most effective public health interventions.

Under the motto "Vaccination for all is humanly possible", this year's campaign highlights the importance of ensuring equitable access to vaccines for all people, especially children with "zero doses". In Africa, millions of children have missed routine vaccinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions to health services. Angola is among the most affected countries, ranking third on the continent in the number of children with "zero doses", totaling more than 500 thousand children.

Africa Immunization Week represents a strategic opportunity to strengthen political commitments, mobilize communities, and revitalize the national and international partnerships that underpin immunization programs in the country. According to World Health Organization (WHO) data, vaccination prevents more than 20 potentially fatal diseases and saves about 3 million lives annually.

WHO studies also show that investing in vaccination is essential to prevent debilitating diseases such as measles, polio, and tuberculosis. By minimizing the need for medical treatment and hospital admissions, vaccination can significantly reduce health care costs.

Consequently, the benefits go beyond the health sector, and result in substantial returns in several dimensions: sustainable economic growth , increased productivity, improved quality of life, raised educational attainment, and strengthened the resilience of communities.

The Angolan government has made significant efforts to strengthen the immunization program, including allocating a budget for vaccine procurement, investing in refrigeration equipment, and plans to introduce new vaccines, such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

During the 1st National Forum on Primary Health Care and Immunization, held in June 2022, the Government of Angola reaffirmed its commitment to immunization as a strategic platform to achieve universal health coverage. On the occasion, the Minister of Health highlighted that "the investment that Angola has made in the Vaccination Program is a reflection of the Executive's commitment to strengthening the National Health Service, to increase access, ensure equity, promote humanization and encourage innovation in essential health services''.

To achieve these goals, the country has relied on the continuous support of strategic partners, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Gavi - Vaccine Alliance, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others, to ensure that no child is left behind.

However, a number of challenges remain, including limited capacity for adequate storage and transport of vaccines, the scarcity of local infrastructure to ensure their safe arrival in all communities, the shortage of skilled immunization technicians, and the still insufficient coverage of vaccination services in the country.

To strengthen the vaccination system in Angola and recover children with incomplete vaccination schedules, it is necessary to intensify ongoing actions, accelerating the implementation of urgent and crucial measures. Among these, the increase in investment by the Government, the allocation of more financial resources for health care and vaccination programs stand out.

It is also essential to improve vaccination infrastructure, support health-first public policies, strengthen immunization programs, foster collaboration with international partners and the private sector, as well as actively engage communities. Improving vaccination coverage mainly involves strengthening and expanding fixed, mobile, and advanced vaccination teams at the community level.

Africa Immunization Week 2025 is, above all, a call to action: to protect every child, every family, and every community. Because vaccinating everyone is possible, and it is humanly urgent.

For additional information, please contact:

Olívio Gambo

WHO Communications Officer in Angola

Telephone: +244 923 614 857

Email: [email protected]

For additional information, please contact:

Heitor Lourenço

UNICEF Communication Officer in Angola

Telephone: +244 936 836 015

Email: [email protected]