Annual national days of vaccination are proposed as a strategy to combat the estimated 400,000 yearly cases of polio and millions of deaths from measles, tetanus, and pertussis.
Does implementing annual national days of vaccination using community volunteers improve the rapid elimination and continuing control of vaccine-preventable diseases in developing countries compared to expanding existing practices?
Annual national vaccination days utilizing community volunteers represent a promising strategy for the rapid elimination of major vaccine-preventable diseases in developing nations.
Estimates of a recent yearly incidence of 400 000 cases of paralytic poliomyelitis, 2.5 million deaths from measles and its complications, over 1 million deaths from neonatal tetanus, and 735 000 deaths from pertussis in Asia, Africa, and Latin America now pose a greater challenge for new action than did the worldwide eradication of smallpox several years ago. By virtue of the conditions obtaining in the developing countries mere expansion or acceleration of what is being done now--even with modifications that may achieve a temporary increase in vaccine coverage--cannot achieve the desired rapid elimination and continuing control of these diseases. A new strategy--namely, bringing the vaccine to the people during annual national days of vaccination--has already been used successfully in some small and large developing countries of Latin America for the rapid elimination and continuing control of polio. This strategy could be adapted to include vaccination against measles, pertussis, and neonatal tetanus by additional training of community volunteers in the large auxiliary health armies that work with the existing health services each year.
A. B. Sabin (Sat,) conducted a review in Vaccine-preventable diseases (poliomyelitis, measles, neonatal tetanus, pertussis). Annual national days of vaccination vs. Mere expansion of current efforts was evaluated. Annual national days of vaccination are proposed as a strategy to combat the estimated 400,000 yearly cases of polio and millions of deaths from measles, tetanus, and pertussis.
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