Campaign for Childhood Vaccination
Vaccines play a vital role in protecting against many serious and deadly diseases. Every year, vaccines save thousands of lives around the world.
This year, the celebration of World Health Day was placed under the theme of childhood immunization. Children have rights including – essentially – the right to health.
Since independence, poliomyelitis has raged in Algeria in an endemic-epidemic state. 200 to 300 annual cases were reported during the period from 1963 to 1969. The implementation of laws making vaccinations against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and poliomyelitis compulsory and free had an obvious impact on reducing the incidence of poliomyelitis.
Massive national vaccination campaigns are organized across the national territory against poliomyelitis with the use for the first time of the oral polio vaccine and the integration of the latter into the vaccination schedule.
In addition to reporting any suspected cases, guidelines for intensified surveillance of the polio program are continuously disseminated. The average morbidity rate recorded a decline of 59% between the 1960s and 1970s and a decline of 60% between the 1970s and 1980s.
Population growth has meant that the representative percentages of the age groups corresponding to children remain extremely high. Those under 5 years old represent 16.5% of the population. Child mortality aged 1 to 4 years is experiencing a much more remarkable decline.
In the same way, with regard to infant mortality, which is higher and more problematic, action focused on the exogenous causes of mortality. A certain number of actions aimed at better food and nutritional care, compliance with the vaccination schedule and a better diarrhea prevention policy seem to be the main source.
This year, the celebration of World Health Day was placed under the theme of childhood immunization. Children have rights including – essentially – the right to health.
Since independence, poliomyelitis has raged in Algeria in an endemic-epidemic state. 200 to 300 annual cases were reported during the period from 1963 to 1969. The implementation of laws making vaccinations against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and poliomyelitis compulsory and free had an obvious impact on reducing the incidence of poliomyelitis.
Massive national vaccination campaigns are organized across the national territory against poliomyelitis with the use for the first time of the oral polio vaccine and the integration of the latter into the vaccination schedule.
In addition to reporting any suspected cases, guidelines for intensified surveillance of the polio program are continuously disseminated. The average morbidity rate recorded a decline of 59% between the 1960s and 1970s and a decline of 60% between the 1970s and 1980s.
Population growth has meant that the representative percentages of the age groups corresponding to children remain extremely high. Those under 5 years old represent 16.5% of the population. Child mortality aged 1 to 4 years is experiencing a much more remarkable decline.
In the same way, with regard to infant mortality, which is higher and more problematic, action focused on the exogenous causes of mortality. A certain number of actions aimed at better food and nutritional care, compliance with the vaccination schedule and a better diarrhea prevention policy seem to be the main source.