EMA Stresses Importance of Immunization

April 24–30, 2017 is European Immunization Week in Europe, and in a statement on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website dated April 25, 2017, Executive Director Guido Rasi stressed the importance of vaccinations in preventing and controlling disease. Rasi acknowledged that fear created from incorrect information presented by unreliable sources has created a lack of trust in vaccines. But he highlighted that Europe monitors and records information on the safety of medicines, including vaccines.

While vaccines are not 100% risk-free, Rasi reminded the public that no medicine is and the risk of an unvaccinated child getting sick from an infectious disease is “much higher” than the potential risk of a vaccine. Rasi stated that some may have forgotten that before vaccines, there were diseases that had “dreadful consequences.” He asked parents to protect their children by having them vaccinated. “Vaccines will keep them safe from deadly measles or cervical cancer. If your child is not immunized, this could become a threat for those who are more vulnerable: siblings who are too young to be vaccinated, elderly grandparents, classmates that have special health conditions.”

Rasi asked that the public play a role in helping the agency keep vaccines and other medicines safe by reporting suspected adverse reactions to doctors or authorities, but most importantly, he asked the public to help raise awareness of the benefits of vaccines. “Keeping children and adults safe with vaccines is a joint responsibility. We need to fight vaccine fears together to win the war against resurging, vaccine-preventable diseases,” he stated.

Source: EMA