Saving about three million lives a year

The importance of vaccination was underlined yesterday during a press conference to mark European Immunisation Week - which is being celebrated this week with the aim of increasing awareness of immunisation and the rate of people being vaccinated.

Health director general Ray Busuttil highlighted that immunisation saves people from disease and in fact some three million lives are saved worldwide every year. Although immunisation is a right, there are certain countries where it is not accessible. He also pointed out that vaccination is a cost-effective system since infectious diseases are a burden on the economy.

Over the years immunisation has led to a number of infectious diseases, such as polio and smallpox, being eradicated from Malta. But although the local death rate from infectious disease is very low, deaths are possible if immunisation is not taken seriously.

Before the introduction of routine vaccination in childhood, infectious diseases were the leading causes of childhood death.

The importance of vaccinating children was emphasised further earlier this year when a small outbreak of rubella emerged among three adults. Rubella can have serious implications if it is contracted by a pregnant woman, with the baby being at risk of rubella congenital syndrome that can lead to severe deformities. The last such case was reported in Malta in 1995, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Joe Cassar said.

In 2002 the World Health Organisation's regional office for Europe developed a strategic plan for the elimination of congenital rubella and measles.

This brings to the fore the importance of taking the Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine, which is available to all 15-month-old babies for free. Malta is still some way away from the ideal coverage rate of 95 per cent, with last year's figures showing that 79 per cent of children were given the first shot of the MMR vaccine and 77 per cent the booster jab which is usually taken at eight or nine years of age.

Dr Busuttil emphasised that any link between the MMR vaccine and autism was a complete myth and the study reporting this had been disproven.

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department head Charmaine Gauci also stressed the importance of travellers taking the needed vaccines before going abroad.

Asked whether the authorities were considering adding the vaccine against the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer, Dr Busuttil said this was not the ultimate solution since cervical screening was still important. He said studies on the cost-effectiveness of the disease were still being carried out, adding that Malta's rate of cervical cancer was still low.

"There are other vaccines which are being considered," he said.