This first-ever regional vaccine effort organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is called the Vaccination Week in the Americas. Next year organizers hope to have every country in the Americas take part during the same week. Meanwhile, the ministers of health in many of the countries are getting ready to launch this year’s initiative on June 1.

PAHO, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States (CDC), and UNICEF joined efforts to mobilize resources for the campaign. Spain’s minister of health applauded this year’s effort and said next year her country hoped to participate.

"This is a Pan American and Ibero-American initiative aimed at seeking equity in vaccinations, so that even the most disadvantaged are protected against the vaccine-preventable diseases, " said Dr. Héctor Izurieta, acting chief of PAHO’s Immunization Unit. "Thus, these children will grow up healthier and have the chance of developing to their full potential and having a better life."

The idea for the Vaccination Week in the Americas arose during a meeting of the Andean countries when Peru suggested the initiative to end measles transmission. Interest in the idea grew, and 11 countries in South America signed on, as did Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas.

For now, the goal is to provide vaccines so that as many children as possible are immunized for the first time or complete their series of immunizations. Strategies to reach as many as possible range from vaccinating door-to-door, to having fixed and mobile vaccine posts in communities and villages.

PAHO, working through its country offices, and the ministries of health are seeking the support of the media to disseminate information and encourage families to visit clinics and health posts to obtain vaccines. Public service announcements on radio and television are being aired throughout the region. Celebrities also are taking part in these messages, calling on parents to make sure their children’s vaccines are up to date.

Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, director of PAHO and promoter of the initiative, recorded a radio message calling on families to take part and urging neighbors and friends to do the same. The theme for the campaign is: "Vaccination, an act of love."

Each country faces different challenges. In Bolivia, for example, the goal is to vaccinate 100 percent of the infant population 1 to 4 years, while in Ecuador the objective is to vaccinate some 40 percent of children in the border areas as dense urban areas. In Guatemala, where vaccination of BCG in newborns is compulsory, health officials are encouraging families to take their children to complete their vaccines.

With the support of PAHO, the countries of the Americas have eradicated smallpox and polio and have interrupted measles transmission for the past five months.

PAHO was formed in 1902 and is the oldest ongoing public health agency in the world. It works with the countries of the Americas to improve the health and improve the quality of life of all the people. PAHO serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization.

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