Vaccination Week In The Americas
Encyclopedia
Vaccination Week In The Americas is an annual effort by the member countries of the Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO) to vaccinate
millions of people in the region. It was first held in 2003, and was prompted by a measles
outbreak
in Venezuela
and Colombia
and proposed as an annual event by the health minister
s of countries in the Andean region. Originally endorsed through the adoption of Resolution CD44.R by the Directing Council of the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO), the overarching objective of VWA is to
strengthen the Expanded Programs on Immunization in the Region by “reaching the
unreached,”populations with otherwise limited access to regular health services and at
heightened risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases. In the Americas, such
populations can be found in areas such as urban fringes, low coverage municipalities,
indigenous communities and rural and/or border zones. The Week has also been used to introduce new vaccines, and to integrate other preventative measures.
In 2008, 45 regional countries and territories were participating in the Week, and more than 59 million people were vaccinated. Between 2003-2009, 289 million people have been vaccinated as a result of Vaccination Week. The participation of countries and territories in Vaccination Week is flexible, as goals and activities for the initiative are chosen in accordance with national health objectives. While some countries choose to conduct large scale vaccination campaigns, others use the initiative as an opportunity to focus exculsively on communication initiatives and health promotion campaigns.
In 2009, the event was held for the seventh time, occurring from April 25 to May 2. The 2009 Vaccination Week was planned to emphasize the vaccination of entire families, and health worker immunization
. Particular focus was to be placed upon the South American Chaco
, a region shared by Argentina
, Bolivia
and Paraguay
, which was one of the transnational areas prioritised by the Pan American Alliance for Nutrition and Development.
The similar European Immunization Week
was launched in October 2005. The Eastern Meditteranean Regional Office of the WHO also held a Vaccination Week beginning in 2009, and by 2010 all countries in this region were participating. There are similar initiatives in the United States and Canada.
In 2010, Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) took place from April 24-May 1 under the regional theme of “Reaching Everyone”. Forty-four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in VWA 2010, with the goal of vaccinating approximately 42 million people through a wide range of campaign activities. VWA launching events occurred in many countries throughout the Americas, with high profile launches held in Nicaragua, on the border between the United States (NIIW) and Mexico, in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and on the border between Suriname and French Guiana. As French Guiana is an overseas department of France, this last event marked the first ever bi-Regional launch (the Americas and Europe) in celebration of the initiative.
Pan American Health Organization
The Pan American Health Organization is an international public health agency with over 100 years of experience working to improve health and living standards of the people of the Americas...
(PAHO) to vaccinate
Vaccination
Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...
millions of people in the region. It was first held in 2003, and was prompted by a measles
Measles
Measles, also known as rubeola or morbilli, is an infection of the respiratory system caused by a virus, specifically a paramyxovirus of the genus Morbillivirus. Morbilliviruses, like other paramyxoviruses, are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses...
outbreak
Outbreak
Outbreak is a term used in epidemiology to describe an occurrence of disease greater than would otherwise be expected at a particular time and place. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent. Two linked cases of a rare infectious...
in Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
and proposed as an annual event by the health minister
Health minister
A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services....
s of countries in the Andean region. Originally endorsed through the adoption of Resolution CD44.R by the Directing Council of the Pan
American Health Organization (PAHO), the overarching objective of VWA is to
strengthen the Expanded Programs on Immunization in the Region by “reaching the
unreached,”populations with otherwise limited access to regular health services and at
heightened risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases. In the Americas, such
populations can be found in areas such as urban fringes, low coverage municipalities,
indigenous communities and rural and/or border zones. The Week has also been used to introduce new vaccines, and to integrate other preventative measures.
In 2008, 45 regional countries and territories were participating in the Week, and more than 59 million people were vaccinated. Between 2003-2009, 289 million people have been vaccinated as a result of Vaccination Week. The participation of countries and territories in Vaccination Week is flexible, as goals and activities for the initiative are chosen in accordance with national health objectives. While some countries choose to conduct large scale vaccination campaigns, others use the initiative as an opportunity to focus exculsively on communication initiatives and health promotion campaigns.
In 2009, the event was held for the seventh time, occurring from April 25 to May 2. The 2009 Vaccination Week was planned to emphasize the vaccination of entire families, and health worker immunization
Immunization
Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent ....
. Particular focus was to be placed upon the South American Chaco
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
, a region shared by Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, which was one of the transnational areas prioritised by the Pan American Alliance for Nutrition and Development.
The similar European Immunization Week
European Immunization Week
European Immunization Week is an annual regional initiative, coordinated by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe...
was launched in October 2005. The Eastern Meditteranean Regional Office of the WHO also held a Vaccination Week beginning in 2009, and by 2010 all countries in this region were participating. There are similar initiatives in the United States and Canada.
In 2010, Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) took place from April 24-May 1 under the regional theme of “Reaching Everyone”. Forty-four countries in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in VWA 2010, with the goal of vaccinating approximately 42 million people through a wide range of campaign activities. VWA launching events occurred in many countries throughout the Americas, with high profile launches held in Nicaragua, on the border between the United States (NIIW) and Mexico, in the Dominican Republic and Haiti and on the border between Suriname and French Guiana. As French Guiana is an overseas department of France, this last event marked the first ever bi-Regional launch (the Americas and Europe) in celebration of the initiative.
See also
- Vaccination policyVaccination policyVaccination policy refers to the health policy a government adopts in relation to vaccination. Vaccinations are voluntary in some countries and mandatory in some countries as part of the public health system...
- GAVI Alliance
- Expanded Program on Immunization (Philippines)Expanded Program on Immunization (Philippines)The Expanded Program on Immunization ' in the Philippines began in July 1979. And, in 1986, made a response to the Universal Child Immunization goal...