Vaccination (Immunisation) creates immunity to (protection from) some diseases. The benefits of vaccination are clearly demonstrated by the eradication of or enormous decline in the incidence of many vaccine-preventable diseases. However, the global coverage of many highly recommended vaccines is still frequently inadequate, and children continue to suffer from diseases that could have been prevented.

Although various possibilities of improving vaccination coverage have been identified, achieving the levels necessary to obtain the greatest effect is still a difficult goal. For children and adolescents that may be reached by a partnership between health promoting schools and the primary health care systems.

The two major challenges underlying limited vaccination coverage among children are due to a lack of information on the part of health care providers and parents. A lack of adequate information from vaccine providers regarding the vaccination status of each child to whom they should administer the recommended vaccines can significantly influence vaccination coverage, and it has been shown that the use of computerised, population-based systems that collect and consolidate vaccination data is essential to this end.

AHI implements an adequate surveillance system for checking vaccination status of school children associated with a screening for health state and uses an age-based computerised immunisation registry for vaccination state of school children and requirements, referral to an integrating local primary health care services for the provision of immunisation and an effective reminder/recall system establishment a platform for school children immunisation.

AHI addresses the lack of understanding on the part of parents by implementing educational programmes specifically addressed to them through school literacy actions that reach the communities (children’s parents) to improve their knowledge and/or change their attitudes. Parents' knowledge of vaccines is one of the most critical points to increase vaccine coverage. Most of the negative parental attitudes towards immunisation are due to a lack of knowledge of the clinical relevance of many vaccine-preventable diseases and the very good safety and tolerability of all of today's marketed vaccines.

The clinical relevance of immunisation is sometimes misunderstood because of the eradication or enormous decline in the prevalence and incidence of many vaccine-preventable diseases. As a result, vaccine-preventable diseases, which are now rare and the memory of them has weakened, parents perceive their prevention unnecessary. Also, vaccines are frequently considered unsafe because the dissemination of misinformation and anecdotal reports of alleged vaccine reactions by the media, the Internet and anti-vaccination groups leads parents to question the need for immunisation. 

AHI acknowledges parents' concerns and respectfully try to correct any misinformation. This includes active listening techniques, to understand how others are assessing and perceiving risk, and to use this information to encourage better informed decisions. The public perceives risk differently from experts, and these differences may contribute to increasing vaccine hesitancy. Schools can play a key role in vaccination as parents tend to trust on information delivered by schools and to do so, AHI in partnership with schools adopt a proactive risk communication strategy to build up trust on science. To reach parents in all levels of formal education, communication is clear and concise, without complicated jargon and allowing questions and seeking feedback regularly because parents are not experts in the medical field or risk assessments.

In conclusion, implementing an adequate school surveillance system for checking vaccination and changing parent’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that indicate concerns about vaccine safety and understanding of benefits immunisation can contribute substantially to increase the up taken of vaccines.