MELBOURNE, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Accelerating vaccination responses during infectious disease outbreaks could sharply reduce illness and deaths in low- and middle-income countries, Australian research finds.
The study from Australia's Burnet Institute modelled the impact of faster immunization under the "7-1-7" global outbreak response target, detecting outbreaks within seven days, notifying authorities within one day, and initiating response within another seven days, said a statement from the institute on Wednesday.
The modelling found that starting outbreak vaccination within 15 days of emergence could prevent up to 80 percent of cholera cases, 55 percent of measles cases, 35 percent of meningococcal meningitis, and 35 percent of yellow fever infections.
"Speed really matters when it comes to outbreak response," said Dominic Delport, Burnet health modeler, the lead author of the study published in BMC Global and Public Health.
Early vaccination can effectively disrupt transmission and protect much of the population from getting sick, especially in high-risk settings, said Delport.
Even if a 15-day response cannot be achieved, delayed vaccinations outperform none, with incremental improvements in response time significantly reducing cases, the study showed.
Using data from 203 real-world outbreaks since 2000, the models compared months-long average response times with faster scenarios, showing biggest gains in high-risk, low-vaccination areas.
Researchers urged stronger outbreak detection and faster vaccination campaigns to cut disease burdens and social-economic disruptions. ■
