Better Immunization Coverage, Improvements In Health Systems Can Help Create ‘Universal Prevention’ Of Infectious Diseases

Fox News: Infectious disease vaccines: A new approach to global health security
Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

“…[W]e need to concentrate our attention [on immunization coverage] if we want to prevent future outbreaks and make the world safer from infectious disease. Because the parts of the world that are missing out on measles vaccinations and routine immunization are also most likely missing out on other vital health interventions. … [W]hile it is true that a lack of health provision and vital public health services makes it tougher for poor countries to cope with epidemics, it is also true that the absence of these facilities and services creates conditions that are ripe for epidemics to occur in the first place. By failing to address this reality we are effectively increasing the global health security threat. Ultimately what is needed is a radical shift in perspective; if we are to be successful in making the world safe and secure from the threat of pathogens, then we need to stop thinking of the spread of infectious disease as an invading force and instead see it for what it really is — a need for universal prevention” (1/29).

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