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GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) kicks off on Saturday, April 22, and will run through April 29. Vaccines help your immune system fight more than 20 dangerous diseases. From the time we’re born, vaccines offer protection to help individuals stay healthy throughout their entire lives.
This is the 15th year that it has been organized and will take place under the theme: #GetVax to celebrate a healthy tomorrow!
World Immunization Week starts on April 24 and runs through April 30. It aims to raise awareness about the critical importance of full immunization throughout life, and its role in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, commends the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) with respect to its annual initiative in the Americas as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) for the recent gains in immunization coverage.
CPS will be organizing its own vaccination open house in the coming months.
VWA is an extraordinary effort led by the countries and territories of the Americas to advance equity and access to vaccination.
VWA activities strengthen the national immunization programs by reaching out to populations with little access to regular health services, such as those populations living in urban fringes, rural and border areas and in indigenous communities.
Since its inception in 2003, more than 640 million individuals of all ages have been vaccinated under the framework of VWA. Vaccination Week in the Americas also provides a highly visible platform to raise population awareness regarding the importance of immunization and to keep vaccines on the forefront of political agendas.
The Region of the Americas became the first to eliminate rubella, a contagious viral disease that can cause multiple birth defects as well as fetal death when contracted by women during pregnancy.
CPS points out that much progress has been made globally to increase immunization coverage, adding that it’s very important to get children vaccinated so they can grow up healthy and strong.
VWA is also an opportunity to bring some attention to the various adult vaccines which the adult population is reminded to be up to date with especially considering their profession.
