Immunization is a global health and development success story, saving millions of lives every year. Vaccines reduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body’s natural defences to build protection. When you get a vaccine, your immune system responds.

We now have vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases, helping people of all ages live longer, healthier lives. Immunization currently prevents 3.5-5 million deaths every year from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza and measles.

Immunization is a key component of primary health care and an indisputable human right. It’s also one of the best health investments money can buy. Vaccines are also critical to the prevention and control of infectious disease outbreaks. They underpin global health security and will be a vital tool in the battle against antimicrobial resistance.

The Covid-19 pandemic, associated disruptions, and Covid-19 vaccination efforts strained health systems in 2020 and 2021, resulting in dramatic setbacks. However, from a global perspective recovery is on the horizon - in 2022 diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DTP) immunization coverage, albeit unevenly between countries, has almost recovered to 2019 levels.

Measles, because of its high transmissibility, acts as a “canary in the coalmine”, quickly exposing any immunity gaps in the population. Still, 22 million children missed their routine first dose of measles vaccine in 2022, compared to 19 million in 2019.

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The most common cause of ulcers is infection of the stomach by bacteria called Helicobacter pylori (H pylori). Most people with peptic ulcers have these bacteria living in their digestive tract. Yet, many people who have these bacteria in their stomach do not develop an ulcer.

The following factors raise your risk for peptic ulcers:

:⁠-Drinking too much alcohol
:⁠-Regular use of aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
:⁠-Smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco
:⁠-Being very ill, such as being on a breathing machine
:⁠-Radiation treatments
:⁠-Stress
A rare condition, called Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, causes the stomach to produce too much acid, leading to stomach and duodenal ulcers.

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Small ulcers may not cause any symptoms and may heal without treatment. Some ulcers can cause serious bleeding.

:⁠-Abdominal pain (often in the upper mid-abdomen) is a common symptom. The pain can differ from person to person. Some people have no pain.

Pain occurs:

:⁠-In the upper abdomen
At night and wakes you up
When you feel an empty stomach, often 1 to 3 hours after a meal
Other symptoms include:

:⁠-Feeling of fullness and problems drinking as much fluid as usual
:⁠-Nausea
:⁠-Vomiting
:⁠-Bloody or dark, tarry stools
:⁠-Chest pain
:⁠-⁠Fatigue
:⁠-Vomiting, possibly bloody
:⁠-Weight loss
:⁠-Ongoing heartburn

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A stomach ulcer, also called a gastric ulcer, is an open sore that develops in your stomach lining. You can also get one in your duodenum, the first part of the small intestine that your stomach feeds into. Duodenal ulcers and stomach ulcers are both types of peptic ulcers. They’re named for pepsin, one of the digestive juices that are found in the stomach and that sometimes leak into the duodenum. These juices are a contributing factor in peptic ulcer disease.

Peptic ulcers occur when the protective mucous lining in your stomach and duodenum has been eroded, allowing gastric acids and digestive enzymes to eat away at your stomach and duodenal walls. This eventually results in open sores that are continually irritated by the acid. If left untreated, they can begin to cause serious complications, such as internal bleeding. Over time, they can even wear a hole all the way through. This is a medical emergency.

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