Youth Health Care (YHC) of Sector Public Health, Social Development & Labour, is in solidarity with the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) 8th Annual Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) that will kick off on Saturday, April 24 until May 1.
Forty-four countries and territories of the Western Hemisphere will reach out to an estimated 42 million children and adults with vaccines.
YHC will be carrying out its vaccine campaign at the end of May.
The theme of VWA is "Reaching Everyone." VWA this year is placing priority on reaching groups that otherwise have limited access to health services and are at higher risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases.
These include residents of urban fringe areas, indigenous communities, and people living in rural and border areas. The initiative is also prioritizing municipalities throughout the region that have vaccination rates of fewer than 80 per cent.
Tens of thousands of health workers and volunteers in North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, are pledged to support the effort, which will coincide with similar initiatives in two other regions: the 5th Annual European Immunisation Week and the first-ever Eastern Mediterranean Vaccination Week.
The countries of the Americas have been leaders in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases. The region was the first in the world to eradicate smallpox (in 1971) and to eliminate polio (in 1994).
Diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis have also been substantially reduced in the region through immunisation.
Even though measles has been eliminated, and the last case of endemic rubella was reported in 2009, there may be scattered outbreaks in different countries.
For example, this month in the Philippines, Africa and Europe, there are reports of mumps and measles outbreak. It is necessary for persons to keep their vaccination status up to date even as an adult it is imperative to ensure that you are properly protected.