World Immunization Week 2025

This week, SACEMA joins the global movement to celebrate and protect one of humanity’s greatest achievements—immunization. Since 1974, vaccines have saved more than 154 million lives, with nearly 94 million saved by measles vaccination alone.

Yet in 2025, we stand at a critical crossroads. Millions of children remain unvaccinated, and the gap between vaccine access and delivery threatens to undo decades of public health progress. At SACEMA, we are helping close this gap through science, modelling, and policy engagement.

Why this week matters

SACEMA supports data-informed decision-making for vaccine-preventable diseases. Our work informs policies, improves surveillance, and trains the next generation of African public health researchers.

This week, we’re highlighting our contributions to:

• Improving polio and measles immunity estimation
• Modelling the introduction of birth-dose hepatitis B vaccines
• Advancing HPV therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine strategies
• Building local capacity through our Policy Modelling Fellowship

The bigger picture

This year’s global campaign aims to remind the world that:

• Vaccines are one of the best tools we have for saving lives.
• Immunization helps create futures, reduce disease, and ensure equity.
• Everyone – from pregnant women to newborns, from adolescents to grandparents – deserves access.
• We must reach zero-dose children and communities left behind.

At SACEMA, our modelling helps countries turn vaccines into vaccinations by answering critical questions like:

• Where are the biggest immunity gaps?
• What’s the most cost-effective strategy for reaching more people?
• How can we equip policymakers with data they trust?

Follow us on LinkedIn and right here all week as we share research, insights, and personal reflections from SACEMA’s researchers.

Immunization for all is not just a dream. It’s humanly possible.
And we’re proud to be part of making that future real.