World Immunization Week | Dr. Ali Mokdad

Dr. Mokdad celebrates the achievements of vaccination during WHO World Immunization Week.

Transcript: Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements in our history. Many of us are now living a longer life and healthier lives because of vaccines. We have eradicated smallpox. We are about to eradicate polio because of vaccines. Many of us don't see diseases that are preventable by vaccines: measles, hepatitis. Somebody like me, I got chicken pox. My daughter will not because she got the vaccine. And it's very important to remember that many countries right now where vaccination is very high, don't see some of these diseases that poor countries still face and they need the vaccines for. That's why it's very important to remember that vaccines are safe. The only side effect is they make you live longer and healthier. And right now, vaccines have produced parents, grandparents. Please take your vaccine whenever it's available to you. Vaccines are safe and effective, and they have saved a lot of lives.

Read more of our vaccination research:

• Mapping global trends in vaccine confidence and investigating barriers to vaccine uptake

• Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries

• Mapping diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccine coverage in Africa, 2000–2016