How your vaccine saves children’s lives

Vaccines are a hot topic of debate right now with the COVID-19 vaccine being rolled out across the world and the UK leading the charge when it comes to vaccination rates. You may think that having a vaccine only really affects you and those around you, however, by getting the vaccines offered to you throughout your lifetime, you are actually helping to save lives globally.

If you are wondering how, read on to find out more.

Getting vaccinated reduces the spread of disease

The most important way that vaccines can help save lives around the world is by reducing the spread of disease. Not only can a vaccination mean that if you are to catch a virus or disease that it is less likely to affect you as severely (or at all), but vaccines also reduce disease transmission rates, meaning carriers are less likely to pass viruses on and so others are less likely to pick them up in the first place.

One thing we’ve seen in action during COVID-19 that we’ve not seen before is just how quickly a virus is able to spread in the modern-day environment, with travel so easily accessible, before we knew it, an issue that only China was facing locked down the whole world.

For those in parts of the world where access to healthcare and vaccination programmes aren’t as easy to come by or utilise, relying on those who travel and move freely to get vaccinated is something they have no option but to do.

A vaccine reduces the need for medical intervention

Another amazing thing that vaccinations do is reduce the need for medical intervention. Not only can vaccines reduce the spread of disease, by they can reduce the effects of disease should you catch it. By preventing diseases presenting major symptoms and side effects, fewer people need to use vital healthcare facilities, relieving pressure from them and meaning they are able to help others in the community who need them most.

In lower-income countries, medical care isn’t something people can take for granted and often it can be a long journey and sacrifice to get medical intervention when people need it most, an experience that is worsened by an emergency or virus outbreak. However, when people are protected against severe symptoms, many won’t need to make that journey or sacrifice, meaning that those who do won’t face life-threatening delays.

Vaccines Bring Hope for All

"We have been combating COVID-19 since early 2020. Many Cambodians have lost their jobs and daily incomes because of the community outbreak and children have been suffering due to food shortages and school closure.

"Being a field staff of World Vision, I am so proud to be part of the community to get through this difficult situation together. We have been working closely with the local authorities and health centres to raise awareness of how to protect oneself from COVID-19 and ensure that low-income families have access to social protection services and take good care of their children during school closure. My team has responded to people’s emergency needs through direct cash transfers and food relief. Providing hope where there was none.

"In February, the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations arrived in Cambodia and raised public attention. People had been waiting for the vaccines for months. My local colleagues have been working closely with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, the World Health Organisation, and other NGOs in an effort to support vaccination deployment.

"Being a frontline staff member in Borei Chulsa, Takeo province, I had the privilege to be vaccinated. I firmly believe that vaccines must be equitably distributed and provided to the most vulnerable groups. My team and I work daily to promote awareness about the vaccines in local communities so together we can get on top of COVID-19 soon.

"I am sure that vaccines will enable communities to thrive as before, children will be able to return to school, the most vulnerable families will be able to get back their jobs and make daily income, and people in general will be able to focus on their livelihood rather than being fearful of the virus.

"Through the COVID-19 response of World Vision International Cambodia, over one million people including 525,000 children are benefiting from education support, child protection, health promotion, cash transfers, and direct food distribution."

- Siney Lay, Area Programme Manager in Borei Chulsa district, Takeo province.

You can reduce vaccine hesitancy

Unfortunately, vaccine hesitancy is real and is becoming a bigger issue than ever before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the World Health Organisation declared vaccine hesitancy as one of their top ten threats to global health, explaining that “Vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases.” And that was before we’d even heard the phrase coronavirus.

By getting your vaccine, you are helping to fight back against vaccine hesitancy. For those who want to, if there are people around you who are hesitant about the COVID-19 you can talk with them about why they feel that way and your experience. Many social media apps are also encouraging users to share their vaccination status with their friends and followers with stickers, hashtags and more.

You protect those who cannot get vaccinated

There are groups of people who are unable to get vaccinated, and for them, it’s so important that others who can, stay protected. People with serious allergies or those with certain pre-existing medical conditions are two groups who, in some cases, are both highly vulnerable and unable to be vaccinated. This causes a Catch-22, as those who cannot get vaccinated are more susceptible to vaccine-preventable disease but also unable to take a vaccine due to health concerns. For people who are medically prevented from being vaccinated and face life-threatening consequences should they catch a disease or virus, life can be very scary. We never know who is living with a hidden illness or disability around us and making sure we are vaccinated can protect them – a simple thing to do to help a friend or neighbour.

A prime example of how getting vaccinated can offer protection to others is the whooping cough vaccine (which also protects against polio, diphtheria and tetanus), offered to all pregnant women in the UK whilst they carry. Not only does the mother receive benefits of the vaccine but they are passed down to her unborn baby, who will be born protected against these things. The NHS reports that “babies born to women vaccinated at least a week before birth had a 91% reduced risk of becoming ill with whooping cough in their first weeks of life, compared to babies whose mothers had not been vaccinated.” A dramatic difference.

How your vaccine saves children’s live worldwide:

It reduces the spread of disease
It reduces the need for medical intervention
It protects those who cannot get vaccinated
It reduces vaccine hesitancy

How is World Vision helping?

The UK has been a leader in COVID-19 vaccinations and, thanks to the NHS, everyone who lives here is offered vaccines available to them throughout their lives. This makes it difficult to realise just how hard it can be for those in lower-income countries to receive protection against deadly disease. The coronavirus pandemic has shown more than ever the disparity between those living in poverty and those who benefit from living in more developed countries, at the time of writing Our World in Data reports that only 1.4% of people living in low-income countries have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccination – in the UK it’s 70%.

World Vision has been working tirelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic in more than 70 countries, reaching over 54 million people, including over 24 million children. From spreading health information and advice to providing PPE and transporting people to healthcare facilities when needed, there is a lot to do.

And that’s just the coronavirus pandemic, we have also been working for years to offer vaccinations to those around the world for other preventable diseases.

How we protect families

Boy in South Sudan has his hands washed by World Vision staff member

Providing soap and water

We are providing reliable information to communities to help them to stay healthy. Simple things like ensuring there is clean water and soap for handwashing are essential to fight the spread of coronavirus.

Providing healthcare

We are training and supporting healthcare workers to identify cases and care for the sick. We are helping to provide personal protective equipment like soap, masks and gloves.

A family wearing masks are provided food in Honduras

Providing food

We're providing food and income support to families struggling because of the crisis. Here, in Honduras, the García family is one of the beneficiaries of our food distribution.

Boy in the Philippines holds storybook about hygiene

Providing the facts

We are helping both parents and children to understand the threat of a coronavirus outbreak and how to prevent it. Here, 8-year-old Janlordy, from the Philippines holds a storybook about a superhero child who learns good hygiene.

It’s not just the effects of disease that cause issues in many countries, but the economic effects that can be even more deadly, pushing families into famine due to rising food prices and reduced incomes. Our work takes us to communities that will be most affected by this and helps us offer community-based projects and guidance to help families not only whilst we are there but for years to come.

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