The Ministry of Health proudly joins the global community in commemorating World Immunization Week 2026, highlighting the vital role vaccines continue to play in protecting lives across all generations.
Vaccines have long been one of the most powerful tools in public health. Over the past 50 years, they have saved more than 150 million lives not by chance, but because individuals, families, and communities made the choice to protect themselves and others from preventable diseases such as measles, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, and rotavirus.
Despite this progress, global challenges remain. In 2024 alone, an estimated 20 million children missed at least one vaccine dose, leaving them vulnerable to serious illness.
Today, scientific advancements have introduced newer vaccines against diseases such as malaria, HPV, cholera, dengue, meningitis, RSV, Ebola, and mpox helping people at every stage of life live longer, healthier lives.
This World Immunization Week, we are reminded that vaccination is not only a personal choice, but a shared responsibility. It is a tradition of care, protection, and love that we pass on from one generation to the next.
The Ministry of Health encourages all parents, caregivers, and communities across Samoa to ensure that vaccinations are up to date because protecting our people today secures a healthier Samoa tomorrow.
