European Immunization Week (EIW) is celebrated across the European Region every April. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of immunization for people’s health and well-being. The slogan is “Prevent. Protect. Immunize.”

This yeat, European Immunization Week is celebrated on 24–30 April 2016, in conjunction with other WHO regional initiatives and World Immunization Week. The goal of EIW is to increase vaccination coverage by raising awareness of the importance of immunization among parents and caregivers, health care professionals, policy and decision-makers, and the media.

According to WHO’s official website, the widespread implementation of immunization programmes over the past 30 years has led to a dramatic reduction in illness and death due to vaccine-preventable diseases. The WHO European Region was certified polio-free in 2002 and measles cases in the Region were reduced by more than 90% between 1993 and 2007.

However, more needs to be done. Nearly 650 000 of the 10.7 million infants born each year in the European Region do not receive the complete three-dose series of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine by age one; and vulnerable populations exist in all countries. Ironically, the fact that immunization has made many infectious diseases rare or almost unheard of can lead to the opinion among parents and health professionals that vaccines are no longer necessary. This can make public confidence in vaccines susceptible to the influence of antivaccination groups and websites.

European Immunization Week is a Region-wide initiative, led and coordinated by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in collaboration with key stakeholders in the Region. It takes place annually during April. The first EIW took place in 2005. Countries from across the Region are actively engaged in European Immunization Week (EIW), using the initiative to highlight immunization through targeted advocacy and communication activities, as well as by immunizing high-risk groups.