Weekly Action - 24 April 2023 - World Immunization Week
World Immunization Week
This week is World Immunization Week. There is a huge drive to scale up vaccinations around the world, something which can save millions of lives. Diseases like Hepatitis B, Meningitis A, Measles, Mumps, Polio, Rotaviruses, Rubella, Tetanus, Yellow fever and of course Covid 19 can all be significantly reduced and in some cases eliminated altogether through vaccination. Such vaccines make an enormous difference to the lives of people around the world. The World Health Organisation reports the story of Wezzie Phiri, a health worker in a rural community on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi. Since malaria vaccinations were introduced she reports, “It has been very helpful for the community and the facility. Since most of the parents are able to take their children to receive the malaria vaccine, the number of children who get sick with malaria and come here to the health center has really reduced.” She adds, “I have 2 girls. The 1st one, she never received the vaccine. But with my little one, she finished the 4 doses and I can see the difference. With the older one, it used to be a struggle, because every 2 months she used to get sick with malaria. But with the little one, she has finished all the vaccines and it has been good.” [1] Around the world there is a real need to step up the roll out of vaccines. Global vaccination coverage dropped from 86% in 2019 to 81% in 2021. An estimated 25 million children under the age of one year have not received basic vaccines, the highest number since 2009.[2] Coverage is weakest in many of the world’s poorest countries in Africa and Asia.
Heal the sick
As Christians, we know it is not God’s desire for anyone to suffer sickness and ill health. Over and over again we are told how Jesus "went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness” (Matt 9: 35). He repeatedly instructed us his followers to also “heal the sick” (Luke 10: 9). Today God continues to heal the sick all around the world, both through miraculous prayer, and through professional healthcare interventions like vaccination. One of the things a major piece of research from Arise, the 4 Shifts Report, looks at in detail is what the Bible teaches us and the lessons from history indicate works best for improving people’s health around the world. It finds repeatedly that where health has dramatically improved it is where governments have ensured that health services are in place, usually funded through taxation, so that all their populations have access to good physical and mental healthcare (4 Shifts, pg 11 – 20, 35 – 39, 61 - 64). Today, some 67% of people in the world now have universal health coverage, up from 45% in 2000. [3] This still leaves a third of the population of the world without access to good healthcare though. These functioning and well-resourced national healthcare systems have been fundamental for ensuring the successful roll out of vaccination programmes and the tens of millions of lives they have saved.
Taxation and social spending
As part of our 4 Shifts Campaign for a fair and green economy, Arise is calling for a global shift from economies that only work for the richest to societies which tax and provide social spending to also help the poorest, so they can meet urgent needs like healthcare and vaccination. Evidence from dozens of nations around the world indicates that to do this countries need to collect tax at an amount equivalent to at least 45% of the national economy, one third from income taxes, one third from wealth taxes and one third from other taxes. They then need to spend at least two thirds of this on healthcare, education and social protection (pensions, benefits etc.). This needs to be agreed at an international level as a global tax and social spending agreement to be implemented in every nation (4 Shifts, pg 95 – 96).
Will you take action as part of Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign this week, to ensure countries collect sufficient tax, and use it to provide crucial services like healthcare and vaccination?
Take Action
Speak out in advocacy
Phone your MP. (This is totally appropriate, they are used to taking phone calls from their constituents on all topics, that is their job!) You can find your MP’s phone number here.
Ask your MP to:
1. Urge the UK government to advocate for a global tax and social spending agreement that commits every country to collect tax at an amount equivalent to at least 45% of the national economy (one third from income taxes, one third from wealth taxes and one third from other taxes), and to spend at least two thirds of this on healthcare, education and social protection (pensions, benefits etc.).
2. Urge the UK government to apply these same levels of taxation and social spending in the UK as well, in order to meet healthcare and vaccination needs at home too.
Pray
Pray for all those in the world who lack healthcare and have not received vaccinations against preventable deadly diseases. Pray for a rapid scaling up of universal health coverage to cover every person in the world. Pray that the quality of that healthcare will continually improve. Pray that every child will be vaccinated against preventable diseases.
Give
Give to Christian organisations like Christian Aid, Cafod, Tearfund or World Vision who are providing healthcare in many of the poorest communities around the world.
Practical Action
Help meet health needs in your own area by considering volunteering with your local hospital. This might involve providing lifts for patients who can’t get to hospital easily, getting involved with patient support groups, or in other ways. Contact your local hospital or GP surgery to find out how to do this.
Encourage us and others by letting us know what actions you have taken – message us at info@ariseuk.org, or via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
Find out more
It’s great to take this action as individual Christians, but even better to come together with others to pray, discuss, worship, learn, have fun and take action together. Contact Arise if you are interested in joining or starting a local Arise group in your church or area. If you are already in an Arise group, take this action to your wider church, and get them all to do it too.
Find out more about why the world needs 4 Shifts to transition to a green and fair global economy in Arise’s 4 Shifts Report, and how this forms part of God’s bigger vision for our world in the Arise Manifesto.
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[1] Mothers in Malawi value the first malaria vaccine, WHO, (14 Apr 2023), https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/mothers-in-malawi-value-the-first-malaria-vaccine
[2] Immunization coverage, WHO, (14 Jul 2022), https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/immunization-coverage
[3] Universal health coverage (UHC), WHO, (12 Dec 2022), https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)