In her first official visit to Haiti, on the eve of the launch of the 11th Vaccination Week in the Americas, PAHO Director Carissa F. Etienee met with First Lady Sophia Martelly and Minister of Health Florence Guillaume of Haiti to analyze technical cooperation priorities in the country.

Jean-Pierre knows that vaccinating his daughter, Isabel, is one of the best gifts he can give her. The head of the family is familiar with tragedy and death because he has seen them up close in the last three years: during the devastating earthquake that ravaged Haiti in January 2010 and took the lives of over 220 000 people; as a result of the winds and rains of Hurricane Thomas in October 2010; and during the ongoing cholera epidemic that began in November 2010.