Raise Your Voice to Promote Childhood Vaccines : Vaccines Save Lives By Janice Hawkins
The current pandemic has increased our awareness of the importance of vaccines . As COVID-19 spread across the globe , the world raced to fight the disease . Vaccines rolled out in record time , and mass vaccination clinics are underway .
Nursing students have contributed their skills to the vaccination efforts and witnessed the celebrations . One student in my program observed expressions of happiness and gratitude as patients received their shots . Tears the student attributed to nervousness in one patient were actually tears of joy . A public health nurse wore sequins , a sparkly t-shirt , and lipstick ( under her mask ) to her vaccine appointment . She described her side effects from the vaccine as “ joy , relief , and a sense of shared reverence ” ( Glickstein , 2021 ). I felt the same way . As a global health nurse engaged in disease prevention , I know that vaccines are critical to improving health worldwide .
The Problem However , not everyone has access to even routine childhood vaccines . One in five children around the world lacks access to lifesaving vaccines . Shockingly , 1.5 million children die each year from vaccine-preventable diseases ( CDC Foundation , 2021 ). We can do better .
The Solution The good news is that there ’ s a solution . We know that vaccines work . The World Health Organization ( 2020 ) estimates that vaccines prevent two to three million deaths every year . By increasing access to routine vaccines , we can save a child ’ s life every 20 seconds .
I work directly with the United Nations Foundation ’ s Shot @ Life campaign (
www . shotatlife . org ) to advocate for global childhood immunization programs . The small collective actions of grassroots advocates make a big impact toward solving the problem of vaccine-preventable childhood deaths . As future nurses , you have an opportunity to raise your voice to protect vulnerable populations .
32 NSNA IMPRINT n APRIL / MAY 2021 n www . nsna . org