Vaccination Week Reaches 40 Million in 35 Countries

Spearheaded by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and UNICEF, the week-long initiative reached out to the region's most remote areas and vulnerable populations, offering protection against dangerous childhood diseases such as polio, measles and neonatal tetanus.

Thousands of health workers and volunteers traveled to isolated areas, border zones and indigenous communities to take vaccines to children who in many cases had never been vaccinated or who had not completed their vaccine series. Women of childbearing age and the elderly also were priority targets of the campaign.

PAHO Director Mirta Roses traveled to Haiti for the initiative's official regional launch. In a kickoff ceremony in the town of Fond Parisien, near the Dominican border, Roses noted that millions of children and adults in Latin America and the Caribbean had not previously benefited from immunization.

"In an age when diseases can easily cross borders, these numbers are dangerous and these children are at risk," she said.

Nils Kastberg, UNICEF regional director for the Americas, who participated in the Haiti launch, added: "Despite emerging threats from new diseases, it's common diseases like measles and neonatal tetanus that remain the real child killers, taking thousands of young lives every week across the world. This campaign drives home the reality that immunization for all is a prerequisite to give every child the opportunity to survive and thrive."

PAHO Director Mirta Roses gives oral polio drops to a Haitian girl at the regional launch of Vaccination Week. Photo ©Armando Waak/PAHO

The slogan for the initiative, "Vaccination: An Act of Love," was seen on banners and posters throughout the 35 countries and also appeared in public service announcements (PSAs) televised throughout the region. PAHO produced eight PSAs, in English and Spanish, for the initiative, while individual countries promoted the initiative with materials produced in more than two dozen languages, ranging from stickers in Creole to posters in Aymara and Quiché.

In Haiti, Vaccination Week in the Americas offered an opportunity to promote stability and peace following the collapse of the Aristide government in late February. The country's health sector had faced major problems even before the crisis. As a result, about half of Haitian children have not received routine immunization against preventable diseases.

An army of town criers spread the word about the campaign in streets, markets and other public places. The campaign provided vaccines against polio, rubella and measles, as well as vitamin A supplements. Women of childbearing age were vaccinated against tetanus, a serious threat to newborns in Haiti.

Other countries used a variety of tactics to achieve specific goals. Belize, for example, focused on a mass rubella campaign targeting some 66,800 males 5–35 years old and women not previously immunized. The country also carried out a "mop-up" campaign for children under 5 who had not completed their immunization schedules.

Brazil set a record for itself by vaccinating 13 million of its 15.2 million elderly citizens against influenza, well exceeding its original goal of 10 million.

In Guatemala, the word was spread through campaign materials in 23 Mayan languages spoken in the country, as well as in Garífuna and Xinca. Vaccines were given at the country's 900 health posts and in private homes, farms and mobile units. A top priority was reaching 87 municipalities with limited access to health services.

In Jamaica, health workers traversed difficult terrain and even climbed through barbed wire fences to reach children in remote areas. Local nongovernmental organizations, including the Kiwanis, helped spread the word, and churches promoted the initiative during Sunday services. Health officials organized a children's concert and jingle competition, which produced a musical theme for the campaign that became part of promotion efforts on radio and television.

Peru exceeded its goal of vaccinating 1 million young women ages 16 to 20 against measles and gave nearly twice as many women vaccines against diphtheria and tetanus as originally planned.

In the United States, Vaccination Week in the Americas coincided with National Infant Immunization Week. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced public service announcements in English and Spanish urging parents to make sure their children receive all their vaccinations on time. The CDC borrowed PAHO's theme, "Vaccination: An Act of Love," while PAHO incorporated the CDC slogan "Love Them, Protect Them, Immunize Them" into its campaign.

PAHO worked with the U.S.–Mexico Border Health Commission to organize childhood immunization drives in seven towns along the U.S. –Mexico border. Vaccination Week events also took place in New York City, San Diego and other major cities in Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas.

The week also coincided with Canada's National Immunization Awareness Week.

Last year's Vaccination Week in the Americas reached an estimated 15 million people, mostly children, in 19 participating countries.