The Lancet Global Health: #VaccinesWork… don’t they?
Editorial Board

“…[A]s we near the end of the Decade of Vaccines, with its promise of universal access to immunization by 2020 via the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP), it seems almost paradoxical that global coverage of such a successful and cost-effective tool is showing only sluggish progress. … [WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE)] will meet this April as part of its twice-yearly schedule and while there may be some progress to celebrate, pressures on vaccination efforts will certainly continue to permeate the discussions. Conflicts, instability, and humanitarian disasters are especially challenging and disrupt efforts to reach those most in need of vaccines. … Another impediment to progress is true political commitment to an issue that has complex budgetary implications, particularly in countries where economic progress is such that they are transitioning out of international financial assistance. … There is no doubt that vaccines work: they save lives, they are the best investment a country could make for its citizens. Yet immunization only really works when all the pressures on coverage, those mentioned above and many more, are relieved in a collective effort. The theme of this year’s World Immunization Week on April 24-30, ‘Protected Together, #VaccinesWork’ is a good reminder of that” (May 2018).