The Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labor section Collective Preventive Services are making preparations for the eleventh celebration of Vaccination Week of the Americas(VWA), which runs from April 20-27, 2013. Various activities, such as a carnival troupe and community outreach will be the activities to bring about awareness regarding the importance of immunization and to keep the topic on the forefront of political agendas.
Last year an open house was kept at the Festival Village, and a team chaired by Anita Priest took care of the organization of the activity. This year there is a new chair to head the activities for 2013, which is Anuska Gibbs.
Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever stated that it is very important for each country to adhere to the required immunization requirements and for parents to ensure that their children are immunized. "On government’s end we are offering all school-going children the opportunity to get vaccinated through the school vaccination program."
VWA is an extraordinary effort led by countries and territories of the region to advance equity and access to vaccination. VWA activities strengthen the national immunization programs in the Americas by reaching out to populations with little access to regular health services. Since its inception in 2003, more than 410 million individuals of all ages have been vaccinated during campaigns conducted under the framework of VWA.