BANGKOK, 26 May 2015 – Public Health Minister Rachata Ratchatanawin revealed that General Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan expressed her satisfaction with successful compulsory vaccination program in Thailand during her attendance at the 68th World Health Assembly (WHA) held in Switzerland last week.
Coverage rate of compulsory vaccination in Thailand has reached 95 per cent of the total population in the country, outdoing the overall situation of the global vaccination coverage rate, he said.
Based on WHO report, in 2013, the worldwide coverage rate of compulsory vaccination especially for measles, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and polio was at 84 per cent. Around 1.5 million children have died from vaccine-preventable diseases per year. Outbreak of measles in some countries indicated that their vaccination programs have not met WHO goal and not covered enough population.
According to Mr.Rachata, WHO has encouraged each country to increase the vaccination coverage rate to over 90 per cent within 2020 and motivated them to produce mandatory vaccines in their own countries as the Thai government has successfully done so.
