Humanly Possible: Stories from the Global Immunisation Effort

World Immunisation Week is marked from 24th — 30th April. The theme for 2024 is ‘Humanly Possible: Saving lives through immunisation

Pupils in Liberia show their fingers, marked to show they have received polio vaccines. (2021) Photo: UNICEF / Arete

‘The global vaccine drives of the second half of the 20th century are one of humanity’s greatest achievements.

Immunization campaigns have enabled us to eradicate smallpox, nearly defeat polio, and ensure more children survive and thrive than ever before.

This year World Immunization Week will celebrate 50 years of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) — recognizing our collective efforts to save and improve countless lives from vaccine-preventable diseases and calling on countries to ramp up investments in immunization programmes to protect the next generations.’

World Health Organisation (WHO)

The story of the Expanded Programme on Immunization is one of vast statistics, spanning continents and generations; but integral to it are the millions of individual human stories.

For over a decade, Arete has told stories that make a difference for the world’s charities and NGOs. We’ve captured their work to protect people from a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases, in countries around the world.

In this month’s blog, we celebrate the achievements of immunisation programmes through the stories of people we have met; looking at how Arete storytellers have given a voice to the individuals behind the statistics — resonating with audiences and helping to maintain engagement in the drive towards global immunisation.

Polio

One of the greatest achievements of global vaccination programmes has been the eradication of smallpox, which was declared by the World Health Organisation in 1980. We are now very close to eliminating another deadly disease — with no confirmed wild polio cases anywhere this year. (WHO)

Naomi and her three-year-old daughter, Neila, at a dispensary in Tanzania. In response to recent outbreaks of Vaccine-Derived Polio, UNICEF, along with local partners and the Ministry of Health for Tanzania, is rolling out a new oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to counteract the recent outbreak across Africa. (2022) Photo: UNICEF / Arete

A nurse marking Neila’s finger after she has been vaccinated. (2022)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Polio was once the leading cause of paralysis among children worldwide. Since 1988, the number of children affected has reduced by 99 per cent. (UNICEF) However, NGOs are asserting the importance of sustaining vaccination programmes and funding to eliminate polio completely. The stories of families who have been affected by polio underscore this critical need for comprehensive immunisation, emphasising the fact that every case prevented is a victory.

Nicola, who contracted polio last year, stands with the help of her mother Leslie, watched over by her father Jeffrey at their home in Papua New Guinea. In the last year, twenty-six children have contracted polio and there is now a country wide vaccination campaign taking place that is being supported by UNICEF and its partners. (2019)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Nicola sits underneath a mosquito net, playing by herself, watched over by her mother. (2019)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Measles

Measles is a highly infectious virus and one of the leading causes of childhood mortality, globally. Widespread childhood vaccination against measles has drastically reduced disease rates worldwide. Between 2000 and 2020, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 31.7 million deaths worldwide. (WHO)

Some audiences in the Global North take immunity from diseases like measles for granted (with vaccinations being so freely available). But it remains important to spotlight these stories, as a recent decline in vaccination rates has increased the risk of measles outbreaks worldwide. (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention)

Two-year-old Zuha, at a vaccination centre in South Sudan. A mobilisation is taking place as part of UNICEF South Sudan’s measles vaccination initiative. Through the generous support of the Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI), UNICEF has procured 2.1 million doses of measles vaccine at the Al Sabah Children’s Hospital in Juba. (2020)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Zuha is given a measles vaccination. (2020)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Zuha is given a vitamin supplement. (2020)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Tetanus

‘Tetanus is acquired through infection of a cut or wound with the spores of the bacterium Clostridium tetani…

Anyone can get tetanus, but the disease is particularly common and serious in newborn babies and pregnant women who have not been sufficiently immunized with tetanus-toxoid-containing vaccines…

The disease remains an important public health problem in many parts of the world, but especially in low-income countries or districts, where immunization coverage is low, and unclean birth practices are common’.

WHO

Community Health Worker, Edgar, speaks to pregnant women at a health centre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. With the help of Humanity and Inclusion, pregnant women receive advice on diet and good living as well as malaria medicine and tetanus injections as part of a Department for International Development (DFID) funded Mother and Child Health project in Kinshasa. (2019)
Photo: Humanity and Inclusion / Arete

A vaccinator gives a young woman a tetanus vaccine in Afghanistan. The Afghan routine immunisation programme that is implemented by UNICEF and the WHO, supported by the Gates Foundation, is aiming to vaccinate every child in Afghanistan. Last year, there were nine confirmed cases of polio in Afghanistan, all of which were suspected to have come from Pakistan. (2011)
Photo: Gates Foundation / Arete

A teenage girl receives a tetanus vaccine at her secondary school in Sierra Leonne. All teenage girls in Sierra Leone get a tetanus vaccine when they reach puberty in case they get pregnant. During the Ebola outbreak, however, this was stopped and was only resumed in January of this year. (2016)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

A teenage girl receives a tetanus vaccine at her secondary school in Sierra Leonne. (2016)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Hepatitis

‘The number of lives lost due to viral hepatitis is increasing. The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death globally — with 1.3 million deaths per year…

Some types of hepatitis [A and B] are preventable through vaccination. A WHO study found that an estimated 4.5 million premature deaths could be prevented in low-and middle-income countries by 2030 through vaccination, diagnostic tests, medicines, and education campaigns.’

WHO

A health worker prepares a hepatitis vaccine for a child at an antenatal clinic at a hospital in Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone has long struggled with some of the world’s worst health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic — and resulting lockdowns, fear of seeking care, service interruptions, and economic hardships — further challenged Sierra Leone’s health systems. Jhpiego is partnering with the government of Sierra Leone and local partners to improve essential health services for the people of Sierra Leone. (2022)
Photo: Jhpiego / Arete

‘The WHO African Region bears 63% of new hepatitis B infections, yet despite this burden, only 18% of newborns in the region receive the hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination’.

WHO

Jaminatu, who is five months pregnant, receives a hepatitis vaccine at an antenatal clinic at a hospital in Sierra Leone. (2022)
Photo: Jhpiego / Arete

Cholera

‘Cholera has been surging globally since 2021… Currently, the most severely impacted countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe…

The severe gap in the number of available vaccine doses, compared with the level of current need, puts unprecedented pressure on the global stockpile of vaccines.’

WHO

Arete photographers helped tell the story of 1.4 million vials of the oral cholera vaccine arriving in Somalia as part of a stepped-up effort to stem an outbreak of the disease that has infected 4,388 people and claimed 54 lives since January, two-thirds of them children. The number of reported cases this year, according to WHO, is three times higher than the average reported in the same period during the last three years.

UNICEF Dep Rep Somalia, Eric Alain Ategbo: UNICEF Somalia Chief of Health, Dr Millhia Abdul Kader; WHO World Health Emergencies Team Lead, Ifeanyi Okudo; and UNICEF Team Lead Immunization, Abdi Gedi Mohamed, inspect a pallet in a warehouse that has taken delivery of the cholera vaccine in Somalia.
The 1.4 million vials of cholera vaccine are the largest volume Somalia has received in the past 7 years. The Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO are collaborating to prevent further outbreaks and help those in need, as cholera outbreaks are happening around the East African region. The first batch of 700,000 vials will be transported to Bossaso, which currently has the highest number of cholera cases in the country. The remaining vaccines will be distributed to other cholera hotspots. (2024)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Mr Osman Omar Abdi, Somalia Federal Ministry of Health, Head of Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery, directs the delivery of crates of cholera vaccine in Somalia. (2024)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

A hospital worker inspects a cholera vaccine package. (2024)
Photo: UNICEF / Arete

Informative Content for Immunisation Campaigns

As well as telling the stories of people affected by vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation, Arete has also taken an active role in immunisation campaigns by producing informative content like the video below, to disseminate clear information about vaccines and their importance.

The eradication of smallpox and the near eradication of polio demonstrates what is possible when funding and communications mobilise towards universal vaccination. But with vaccination levels fluctuating, there is a constant need to engage, educate and inform people about the importance of sustaining vaccination programmes and funding.

At Arete, we believe that highlighting the human stories at the heart of global efforts is key to connecting with audiences and sustaining support.

Our award-winning journalists, photographers and content providers are eager to help you make a difference.

Contact us to find out how we can tailor our expertise to meet your needs.