Vaccination Week In The Americas (VWA) is an annual public health campaign by the member states of the

Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency working to improve the health and living standards of the people of the Americas. It is part of the United Nations system, serving as the Regional Office for ...

(PAHO) to promote equity and access to

immunization Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent (known as the immunogen). When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called ''non-sel ...

. It is marked each year during the last week of April. Since 2012, the campaign has been celebrated globally across all regions of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

(WHO) under World Immunization Week. The WHO reports there are 25

diseases A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that ar ...

for which vaccines exist for their prevention and control.World Health Organization
Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011-2020.
Geneva, 2012.

History

VWA was initially proposed and implemented on April 23, 2002, under the presidency of Dr. Patricio Jamriska, Secretary of Health of the Republic of Ecuador and by the Ministers of Health in the Andean Region following a

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

outbreak in Venezuela and Colombia. Originally endorsed through the adoption of Resolution CD44.R by the Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the overarching objectives of VWA are to promote equity and access to immunization and strengthen immunization programs in the Region of the Americas by “reaching the unreached”, populations with otherwise limited access to regular health services and at heightened risk of contracting

vaccine-preventable diseases A vaccine-preventable disease is an infectious disease for which an effective preventive vaccine exists. If a person acquires a vaccine-preventable disease and dies from it, the death is considered a vaccine-preventable death. The most common and s ...

. 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. VWA has been used to conduct large-scale vaccination campaigns, introduce new vaccines, carry out communication and social mobilization campaigns, and to integrate other health promotion measures. Since its launch in 2003, over 365 million individuals have been vaccinated through campaigns conducted under the framework of the initiative. In April 2012, PAHO joined the other five WHO regions to celebrate World Immunization Week. This followed the launch of

European Immunization Week European Immunization Week (EIW) is an annual regional initiative, coordinated by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), to promote immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases since its launch in 2008. EIW acti ...

(EIW) in the WHO European region in 2005, and Vaccination Week campaigns launched in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region in 2010, and in the WHO African and Western Pacific regions in 2011. The member states of the WHO South-East Asian region committed to the annual campaign in 2012.

Themes

The goals and activities for each VWA are chosen in accordance with a specific theme, and adapted in alignment with national health objectives.

2014

The twelfth VWA takes place from 26 April to 3 May 2014, with the regional slogan: “''Vaccination: Your best shot''.” This slogan was chosen to encourage people to protect themselves and their communities against the importation of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

and other vaccine-preventable diseases, in the context of the upcoming

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

in Brazil.

2013

VWA 2013 was marked from 20 to 27 April, with the regional slogan: “''Vaccination: a shared responsibility''.”

2012

The tenth annual VWA was held on 21–28 April 2012, giving

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

organizations across the region another opportunity to advance efforts in childhood immunizations.

2011

The ninth annual VWA was celebrated during 23–30 April 2011 under the slogan "''Vaccinate your family, protect your community''". Over 41 million individuals were vaccinated as a result of the 2011 VWA initiative. Regional events for VWA 2011 were held across large cities and small towns, and on bi- and tri-national borders across the region, including the

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao (Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located at the ...

between Peru and Bolivia, and the

Amazon Basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

subregions.

2010

Events for VWA 2010, which was celebrated from 24 April to 1 May 2010, targeted regional vaccination goals to reach children under 5 years of age, pregnant women, elderly populations, border and isolated populations, indigenous populations, and low coverage municipalities.World Health Organization
Immunization week to kick off in 112 countries.
Accessed 14 April 2014.

2009

The seventh annual VWA took place from 25 April-2 May 2009. Themes emphasized during this VWA included the importance of family vaccination as well as the vaccination of

health workers A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (suc ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Vaccination Week in the Americas

United States-Mexico Border Health Commission: National Infant Immunization Week/Vaccination Week in the Americas

Immunize Canada: National Immunization Awareness Week

Vaccination Week in the WHO Western Pacific region

* ttp://www.paho.org/english/hvp/hvi/Sucre_agreement04-2002.pdf Sucre Agreement
Boletin Informativo PAI

Convocatoria a Reunion Extraordinaria de Ministros de Salud del Area Andina

Reunion Extraordinaria de Ministros de Salud del Area Andina
Health in North America Health in South America International observances April observances Health observances Vaccination Americas Awareness weeks