PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti's Ministry of Health and Population (MSPP) has launched a campaign in the city of Le Cayes, a town in the southwest of the country, aiming to improve immunization coverage, with a particular focus on under-immunized children and zero-dose children.
“The country has made immense sacrifices to achieve the elimination of polio, measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and also the elimination of neonatal tetanus. Today, these gains are seriously threatened. Vaccination week in the Americas is an opportunity to catch up” said Dr. Alex Larsen, Minister of Public Health and Population.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said the initiative, which forms part of Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) provides an opportunity for health authorities in Haiti and the Americas region to strengthen routine immunization programs and accelerate vaccination against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
PAHO member states have a common goal this year to reach more than 92 million people with more than 144 million doses of different vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines.
“Together, we can ensure that every person in Haiti has access to safe and effective vaccines. Let us continue to work together to protect the health and well-being of our people, in Haiti and throughout the Americas” said PAHO/WHO Representative in Haiti, Dr. Maureen Birmingham.
The VWA is an annual event that takes place in more than 40 countries in the Americas region. It aims to improve immunization coverage in the region by raising awareness of the benefits of immunization and encouraging health authorities to strengthen routine immunization programs.
Over the past 20 years, VWA has reached nearly 1.1 billion people in the Americas region and eliminated six vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, measles, congenital rubella syndrome, neonatal tetanus, hepatitis B and smallpox.
