Immunization is Contagious
Rotavirus immunizations—protecting against deadly diarrheal disease—are now standard in 93 countries with the help of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and countries’ laudable efforts to expand coverage, writes Johns Hopkins Pediatrics Professor Mathuram Santosham.
India, Pakistan and South Africa have been at the forefront of vaccine roll-out; countries like Nigeria, Congo and Afghanistan will soon follow suit.
Huge challenges remain: Bangladesh has achieved impressive vaccination coverage, but must double its cold chain capacity, and health systems are strained by an influx of 600,000 Rohingya refugees.
But Santosham’s bottom line is optimism: “Achieving vaccine equity is a marathon, not a sprint,” he says.