by ERIKA ALDRICH
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to explore the topic of immunizations around the globe. The efforts to immunize people against debilitating and life-threatening diseases is a global initiative that we are all a part of. Test your knowledge of facts and statistics about immunizations by taking our quiz below!
True or False? More children are being immunized around the world than in the past.
An improvement in global immunization coverage could save how many lives world-wide?
15,000
50,000
150,000
1.5 million
The rate of death due to measles, a highly contagious disease which regularly results in a high fever and rash, and can also lead to blindness, encephalitis or death, has declined by which of the following percentages, thanks to measles vaccinations.
64%
74%
84%
94%
As of 2017, how many countries have achieved immunization coverage of at least 90 percent for the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine for infants?
57 countries
123 countries
150 countries
201 countries
Fill-in-the-blank: Coverage of vaccinations varies on a global scale. For example, coverage of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, which prevents pneumonia and meningitis, varies widely. Coverage in the Region of the Americas is estimated at _____ percent, while coverage in the Western Pacific Region is estimated at _____ percent.
91%/ 28%
84%/49%
75%/25%
64%/ 38%
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis. Targeted for global eradication, what is the current percentage of children worldwide who receive all three doses of the polio vaccine?
45%
55%
75%
85%
What is the estimated global coverage of the vaccination for Hepatitis B, a viral infection that attacks the liver?
50%
67%
84%
92%
By the end of 2017, what was the estimated global coverage of the vaccination to protect against measles, based on one dose by age 2?
85%
75%
65%
55%
What percentage of children received the second dose of the measles vaccination world-wide?
57%
67%
77%
87%
In 2017, what was the estimated number of infants worldwide that were not reached with routine immunization services, such as the DTP3 vaccine?
5.4 million
10.2 million
14.7 million
19.9 million
Resources: Information provided by The World Health Organization (WHO)
ANSWERS:
True. More children are being immunized than ever before, but with population increases, immunization rates overall are about the same.
D. 1.5 million. If global coverage of immunization rates increased, it would save an estimated 1.5 million lives world-wide.
C. 84%. The rate of death due to measles has decreased by 84% because of the measles vaccination.
B. 123 countries. 123 countries ensure the DTP3 vaccine is administered to at least 90 percent of the country’s infants.
A. 91%/28%. The difference in the coverage rate for Hib vaccines between the Americas and the Pacific West varies by 63%.
D. 85%. Eradicating polio is an important goal of WHO and other health organizations
C. 84%. The rate of coverage against Hepatitis B is as high as 93 percent in some areas.
A. 85%. 85% of children received the first measles immunization by their second birthday.
B. 67%. 167 countries were able to administer a second dose of the measles immunization as well as the first.
D. 19.9 million. Nearly 20 million children worldwide did not receive the DTP3 vaccination.
