(VOVworld) – Vaccinations can stave off 26 potentially deadly diseases but the full potential of vaccines is not being used, the UN Health Agency said on the first day of World Immunization Week. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that when immunization rates are high, the wider community is protected, including infants who are too young to be vaccinated, older adults at greater risk of contracting serious diseases, and people who take medication that weakens their immune systems.

(Photo: VNA)

By increasing immunization globally, the lives of an additional 1.5 million people could be saved every year, according to the WHO. This year's Immunization Week falls at the halfway point of completing the target set by the Global Vaccine Action Plan to eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases by 2020.