13 October 2025, Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) recently conducted a weeklong training for healthcare providers of the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, on the reinforcement of their immunization programme, following the introduction of three new childhood vaccines into their national immunization schedule.
The hexavalent vaccine (Hexa), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) and rotavirus vaccine (RV) were rolled out in July 2025. To support this introduction, the Ministry with technical assistance from PAHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, conducted a training of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) workforce to strengthen their capacity for providing the vaccines safely and for building community confidence in the new vaccines.
The comprehensive training programme to enhance the technical capacity of healthcare providers in the safe and effective delivery of the new vaccines, was also extended to other childhood vaccines such as Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. The training aimed to reinforce the surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), emphasizing the active search for rash and fever and acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases, critical to maintaining disease elimination gains.
A total of 166 healthcare providers from across all health districts and four health promotion officers participated in the national training workshops. The 166 healthcare providers included community health staff (nurses, doctors, community health nurses, and nursing assistants) who attended one-day sessions focused on national immunization guidelines, vaccine characteristics, cold chain operations, and VPD surveillance. District nurse supervisors and central-level staff participated in two-day sessions emphasizing leadership, programme management, and monitoring for the new vaccine rollout.
The expected outcomes of the training are:
- Improved understanding of hexavalent, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and rotavirus vaccines, and benefits
- Strengthened technical capacity in cold chain management, data recording, and VPD surveillance
- Enhanced coordination between EPI and Health Promotion teams for effective rollout, and
- Renewed commitment to monitoring and community engagement to sustain high coverage rate
The training series represents a significant step in strengthening the national immunization programme and ensuring the effective rollout of new vaccines and sustaining disease elimination. The inclusion of health promotion officers in the process enhances public communication efforts as the country advances its cervical cancer elimination agenda and strengthens community trust in vaccines.
“The Ministry remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that every child in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has access to life-saving vaccines. This step reinforces our dedication to sustaining high immunization coverage and protecting future generations,” said Senior Nursing Officer, sister Julie Douglas, Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment
“Vaccines remain one of the most powerful and cost-effective public health tools. Through decades of sustained effort and the dedication of healthcare workers, the Region of the Americas has achieved remarkable milestones including the elimination of polio, measles, and rubella. However, with new vaccines being introduced and the growing threat of measles in the region, maintaining technical excellence and ongoing capacity building in immunization is more critical than ever. Strengthening primary health care is a key priority for PAHO for Universal Health Coverage (UHC),” stated Dr Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries.
Dr Solange Kobi-Jackson, PAHO/WHO Advisor, Family Health and Life course for Primary Health Care, was pleased with the outcomes of the workshop. “This was a successful training workshop with many participants from all health district and from the central level demonstrating the integration of services, and capacity building of primary health care providers that will facilitate universal health coverage and universal health access.”
Dr. Karen Broome, PAHO/WHO Advisor, Immunization - Caribbean Sub-Region, informed that “To sustain our gains made with vaccine preventable disease elimination, PAHO is pleased to continue strengthening national immunization programs through training of health care providers for EPI, to build national capacity to protect the health of children, adolescents, adults and older persons through vaccination.”
The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment extend its appreciation to PAHO/WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi for their continued partnership and support in safeguarding the health and well-being of the nation’s children.
