2004 Vaccination Week in the Americas Set for April 24-30

The first-ever hemisphere-wide Vaccination Week in the Americas is set to take place April 24–30. Modeled on the 2003 initiative of the same name, the effort will for the first time include all the countries of North, South and Central America and the Caribbean.

The 2004 Vaccination Week will focus on reaching children who have never been vaccinated or who have not completed their vaccination series, as well as women of child-bearing age and seniors. Last year's effort involved 19 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and vaccinated an estimated 15 million children. It included special efforts to reach border zones, where vaccine coverage has historically been low.

With the slogan "Vaccination: An Act of Love," the initiative will use mass media and local communications to call on parents to take their children to be immunized at health posts or to open their homes to health volunteers. Media materials will also include the theme "Love Them, Protect Them, Immunize Them," developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

At a recent meeting in Ecuador, countries outlined their plans and strategies. Haiti and the Dominican Republic will launch a rubella campaign during the week. The United States and Canada will carry out informational campaigns.

Pan American cooperation helped the Americas eradicate smallpox and polio before any other region. Supporters note that the 2004 initiative will show again that such cooperation is essential for promoting health equity in the region.

Sponsors include the Pan American Health Organization, the region's ministries of health, the CDC, and the United Nations Children's Fund. The binational U.S.–Mexico Border Health Commission in El Paso, Texas, is coordinating activities along the border.