PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne.
CITIZENS are being encouraged to take ad- vantage of PAHO’s pub- lic health initiative en- titled “Vaccination Week in the Americas” which is promoted in the last week of April, and which this year will serve as an oppor- tunity to accelerate vaccination against COVID-19 and improve coverage rates for other vaccines that have declined over the past decade.
The theme of the Week, which runs from April 23- 30, is “Are you fully vacci- nated? Get all your shots,” and calls on the entire population to review their vaccination schedules and get vaccinated to be fully protected.
“This Vaccination Week is an opportunity to im- prove vaccination rates against polio, measles, rubella, diphtheria and other preventable diseases that have fallen in
the last ten years,” said PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienne.
“Vaccines work and in the last 20 years have prevented millions from getting sick, hospitalized and even dying. This is why it is vital that everyone has access,” she said.
In two years of the pandemic, the focus on controlling COVID-19 has left health systems and heath care professionals over- whelmed and has set back almost three decades of progress in the fight against polio and measles in the region. In 2020, more than 2.7 million chil- dren in the Americas were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated, making them susceptible to diseases such as measles, polio and diphtheria, the first two of which were eliminated from the region.
While the coverage rate with the three doses of polio vaccine stood at 82% in 2020 - the lowest since 1994 - the regional coverage rate against measles, mumps and rubella (with MMR1 MMR vaccine) was 87%, six percentage points lower than the 93% recorded in 2016.
Meanwhile, regional coverage for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (with DTP3 vaccine) also fell from 91% in 2016 to 85% in 2020. All of these rates fell below the 95% recommended by PAHO to prevent outbreaks.
“Vaccines remain our best protection. We cannot let our guard down,” Etienne stressed. We must intensify efforts to reverse this situation, and we know how to do it, our his- tory of eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases proves it.”
With nearly 1.8 billion doses administered in the region in just 16 months, vaccination against COVID-19 is the largest
immunization program in history. Fourteen countries have already reached the WHO goal of vaccinat- ing 70% of their populations ahead of June 30th 2022, 26 have achieved coverage between 40% and 69%, and 11 remain below 40%. “Success is possible when we work together to embrace vaccination,” said the PAHO Director, urging countries to “take advantage of Vaccination Week to reach the most vulnerable.”
The launch of Vaccination Week in the Americas will be marked with an event on April 25 in Dominica, which will be attended by the PAHO Director and the highest authorities of the Caribbean country. Video messages are also ex- pected from the presidents of Chile, Ecuador and Honduras, as well as from the Secretary General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Barbados is meanwhile celebrating the 20th Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) from Saturday, April 23, to Saturday, April 30. According to the Government Information Service, all vaccines, COVID-19 as well as rou- tine vaccines, will be avail- able to members of the
public with the exception of Sunday, April 24, when only COVID-19 vaccines will be administered. During the week, persons may go to any polyclinic, within or outside of their catchment areas to receive their vaccines. No vaccines will be offered however on the National Heroes Day bank holiday.
