Immunization: Vaccination campaign a national priority

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Actress Luiza Nersissyan, who took her daughter Lilit for immunization last Friday, is among new mothers who understand the value of vaccination. Anahit

An expanded immunization program for vaccine-preventable diseases of infants was launched in Armenia in the 1960s. Still today, however, it is an issue of debate between parents and doctors and a cause for UNICEF and other health advocates to work diligently for promoting vaccination. Immunization is, in fact, a national priority.

Conscientious health officials ardently campaign for the necessity of vaccination to avoid deadly diseases. They also point out that children who are not immunized are more likely to become malnourished. It is safe, even, to vaccinate children with disabilities they assure, assuaging misinformed concerns of some that immunizations overwhelm an infant’s immune system.

Worldwide, 1.7 million children die each year from disease that could have been prevented through immunization. Though statistics are not available for the number of those in Armenia, specialists say even one death is a tragedy when it could easily be prevented.

The effectiveness of vaccination was demonstrated in the winter of 2004-5, when Armenia experienced a measles outbreak. Though it is usually a disease that attacks children (and is the leading cause of death among those younger than 5), here, many of the victims were of adult age because they had not been immunized in childhood.

Anahit Galoyan, who takes her two daughters to Policlinic N8, is sure that the girls – ages 8 and 14 – grew healthy as a result of proper vaccination.

“I never missed any vaccination for my children, because once I saw a child who suffered a disease (whooping cough) that was preventable by vaccine,” the mother says. “I obviously would not wish to put my children’s lives at risk by failing to have them vaccinated.”

The infants’ immunization covers nine major diseases: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps, rubella. The first two vaccinations cover tuberculosis and hepatitis B while the baby is still in the maternity hospital. For follow-ups, pediatricians are trained to call parents if they forget or fail to bring the child at its scheduled time. Vaccinations are free and administered in the policlinics.

Some vaccinations are a single dose, others twice or more in the range of few weeks, months or year. By one year old, the healthy child should receive 11 doses of vaccination.

Despite the obvious effect of vaccination, stories of babies becoming sick and later dying after immunization turns into urban legend and many parents find it hard to realize where the truth ends and myth starts. Now, health specialists battle to educate families to the need for vaccinating children against potentially fatal diseases.

Sophya Babayan, pediatrician of the Policlinic N8 dismisses such stories as fiction. She says there was not a single case in her medical practice when a child’s health was damaged after vaccination.

“The child’s immunity system is more ready than parents think, to respond to the very small number of weakened and killed antigens in vaccines,” Babayan says.”

“If the pediatrician scrupulously and properly examines a child before vaccination, the negative aftereffects are excluded. The vaccination is done when a child is completely healthy and there are no contraindications. The decision of immunization in policlinics is taken only after a mutual inspection of child by several specialists, including immunologists.”

Gayane Sahakyan, manager of the National Immunization Program of the Health Ministry explains:

“The diseases do not recede at once, it is the result of mass vaccination campaign and immunization,” he says. “We struggle greatly to overcome the diseases. But there is no guarantee if we stop the mass vaccination the diseases would not break out again. The parents should realize the risk they impose their child by refusing vaccinations.”

Parents should also consider that children who are not vaccinated at the specified age are put at greater risk of preventable diseases.

In 2002 Armenia was declared a polio-free country. In 1990, 12 cases of the disease – practically unheard of now in developed countries – were registered. But, following immunization campaigns, no cases have been reported since 1996.

With the help of international donor organizations, the Armenian government provides free immunization. This year the Ministry of Health has allocated 72 million dram ($200,000) for full-fledged dozes of vaccination of polio (300,000 dozes), Hepatitis B (20,000 dozes) diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus (240, 000 dozes).

This spring in addition to the routine vaccination the Armenian Government will launch the National Supplementary Immunization Campaign, a part of World Health Organization Strategy against measles and rubella, the eighth leading cause of death among people of all ages worldwide.

The Millennium Armenian Children’s Vaccine Program and Vishnevskaia-Rostropovich foundation will cover part of the rubella, measles and mumps vaccinations expenses and UNICEF will cover expenses for all remaining vaccines included in National Immunization Schedule.

Doctors expect to vaccinate 1.26 million citizens ranging in ages 6-27.

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have designated $1 million to the campaign, assisted by the Ministry of Health ($60,000), Vishnevskaya Rostropovich Fund ($167 000). From the private sector, mobile phone operator VivaCell joined the campaign and allocated $100,000.