Commissioner of Public Health Maria Buncamper-Molanus, says she is in full solidarity with the efforts currently underway for the 7th Annual Vaccination Week in the Americas that started on Saturday, April 25 and will run through Saturday, May 2.
This is the Western Hemisphere’s largest multi-country health effort which will reach out to children and adults in 44 countries and territories.
Two special themes for this year’s effort are family vaccination and vaccination for health workers.
The goal this year is to vaccinate 30 million people against diseases including polio, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, measles, diphtheria, mumps, whooping cough, tetanus and neonatal tetanus, H. influenzae type b (Hib), yellow fever, and influenza.
Sector Public Health, Social Development & Labour Section Youth Health Care (YHC) will be having a Vaccination Open House on May 30. Additional information will be made available as the time gets closer. Last year’s event attracted more than 200 children and teenagers who came to check their vaccination status, update their information and receive vaccinations.
In February YHC organized a vaccination outreach program for the mid-term break from February 23 to Friday, February 27 which was also a success.
Disease prevention is the key to public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals.
"Immunizing individual children helps to protect the health of our community. I ‘am hoping once again that this year’s vaccination week of the Americas will be a successful one. Even healthy and well-nourished children, if unvaccinated, are at risk of disease. Residents of the Western Hemisphere should take heed and use the opportunity to check their child’s vaccination status," Commissioner of Public Health Maria Buncamper-Molanus told the Government Information Service (GIS) on Monday.