WEEK 5: VACCINATION POLICY AND CHALLENGES FACING VACCINATION IN BOTSWANA

Question 1

Define the following terms.
*Vaccine
*Immunity
*Vaccination
*Immunization

Answer 1

Vaccine: A preparation that is used to stimulate the body’s immune response against diseases. Vaccines are usually administered through needle injections, but some can be administered by mouth or sprayed into the nose.

Immunity: Protection from an infectious disease. If you are immune to a disease, you can be exposed to it without becoming infected.

Vaccination: The act of introducing a vaccine into the body to produce protection from a specific disease.

Immunization: A process by which a person becomes protected against a disease through vaccination. This term is often used interchangeably with vaccination or inoculation.

Question 2

What are Vaccine Preventable Diseases (VPDs)?

Answer 2

VPDs are infectious diseases caused by viruses or bacteria that can be prevented with vaccines.

Question 3

Describe the following terms.
*Vaccines by age
*Vaccines by disease

Answer 3

Vaccines by Age- These vaccines are recommended for infants, children, teenagers and adults of certain ages. Multiple antigens can be given at the same time here for a particular age.

Vaccines by Disease- Recommended country immunizations and non-routine immunizations for people in certain jobs, travel situations or during the pandemic.

Question 4

State at least 10 examples of vaccine preventable diseases.

Answer 4

Tuberculosis
Hepatitis
Polio
Hemophilus influenzae
Rotavirus
Night blindness*
Pneumococcal diseases
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
Diphtheria
Pertussis
Tetanus
Yellow fever

Question 5

Immunization is a global health and development success story, saving millions of lives every year.

We now have vaccines to prevent more than ho many life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives?

Immunization currently prevents how many deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles?

Answer 5

Immunization is a global health and development success story, saving millions of lives every year.

We now have vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives.

Immunization currently prevents 3.5-5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles.

Question 6

Immunization is a key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right. It’s also one of the best health investments money can buy.

State the importance of vaccines?

Answer 6

Immunization is a key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right. It’s also one of the best health investments money can buy.

Vaccines are also critical to the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks.

They underpin global health security and will be a vital tool in the battle against antimicrobial resistance.

Question 7

Outline the 5 Objectives of Vaccination.

Answer 7

*Reduction of pressure on the healthcare system.
*Reduction of overall disease severity and mortality.
*Re-opening of society during the pandemic; lifting of non-pharmaceutical practices
*Disease elimination
*Disease eradication

Question 8

Define vaccine coverage.

Answer 8

Vaccine coverage refers to the proportion of a population that is appropriately immunized against a specific vaccine-preventable disease (VPD).

Maintaining high immunization coverage is essential for the effective prevention and control of VPDs.

Question 9

What is herd immunity?

Answer 9

‘Herd immunity’, also known as ‘population immunity’, is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection.

WHO supports achieving ‘herd immunity’ through vaccination, not by allowing a disease to spread through any segment of the population, as this would result in unnecessary cases and deaths.

Question 10

The WHO defines pandemics, epidemics, and endemic diseases based on a disease’s rate of spread. Thus, the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic isn’t in the severity of the disease, but the degree to which it has spread.

Define the following patterns of disease spread.

1. Sporadic
2. Endemic
3. Epidemic
4. Pandemic
5. Outbreak

Answer 10

Sporadic- is an infectious disease, which occurs only infrequently, irregularly from time to time in a few isolated places, with no discernible pattern.

Endemic- a disease is endemic when it is consistently present but limited to a particular region.

Epidemic- is an unexpected increase in the number of disease cases in a specific geographical area.

Pandemic- a pandemic cuts across international boundaries, as opposed to regional epidemics.

Outbreak- is a sudden increase in occurrences of a disease when cases are in excess of normal expectancy for the location or season.

Question 11

Define the following goals of disease control and give examples of diseases under each.

*Disease/ Epidemic Control

*Disease Elimination
Elimination of VPD Transmission
Elimination of VPD as a Public Health Problem

*Disease Eradication

Answer 11

Disease/ Epidemic Control: Reduction of disease and death to low levels locally

EXAMPLE: Influenza, TB, Yellow fever

Disease Elimination

-Elimination of VPD Transmission: Reduction of incidence to zero in a specific geographical location.

EXAMPLES: Measles, Rubella

-Elimination of VPD as a Public Health Problem: Intensive intervention measures with a specific disease reduction target

EXAMPLES: Rabies, Bacterial meningitis, Hepatitis B

Disease Eradication: Absence of disease-causing organism in nature.

EXAMPLE: Polio