Recent Immunization News

• (June) The ProVac International Working Group Begins Its First Country Study of the Two-Year Pilot Phase

  Thanks to the recognized success of PAHO’s ProVac Initiative in coun-tries of the Americas, a ProVac International Working Group (IWG) was established to share ProVac tools and methodologies with other Regions. During the two-year pilot phase, this Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded project will serve as the platform through which ProVac tools and methodologies developed and implemented in PAHO-countries can be tested and adapted to other regional contexts. The ProVac IWG is con-formed of multiple partners. PAHO’s ProVac Initiative will serve as the secretariat and coordinating agency. Agence de Médecine Préventive (AMP) and PATH will serve as implementing agencies by providing direct technical assistance to country teams using ProVac’s tools and methods. They will provide support for cost-effectiveness evaluations of potential new vaccine introductions in three AFRO countries, two EMRO coun-tries, and two EURO countries and will hold a workshop in each of the before mentioned Regions.

• (June) El Salvador’s EPI Survey Evaluates Routine Vaccination Coverage

  On 6 June 2012, the results of a vaccination coverage survey were presented to the Minister of Health and other health officials in El Salvador. The survey was requested by El Salvador’s EPI, designed with support from the Pan American Health Organization and implemented in partnership with a local university with ex-perience in conducting (non-health related) surveys. A survey to assess vaccination coverage for vaccines recommended for children aged under two had been recommended during the country’s 2009 EPI evaluation, as problems detected for numerators and denominators were affecting administrative coverage calculation. The survey included 2,550 children aged 24-59 months at the time of the interview (Nov-Dec 2011) living in the five Health Regions of the country. The main objectives were to determine vaccination coverage for BCG; first, second and third dose of DTP-Hib-HepB and OPV; the first and second dose of Rotavirus; the first dose of MMR; and the first booster of DTP and OPV; to estimate vaccination timeliness, in relation to the recommended age; to compare survey coverage with administrative coverage; and to identify reasons for not having received some vaccines.

• (June) Workshop On VINUVA—The New Vaccines Surveillance Tool

  VINUVA (from "New Vaccines Surveillance" in Spanish) was created by the Pan American Health Organiza-tion (PAHO) in 2011 to provide a standardized computerized tool for the countries in the Region of the Americas that are part of the rotavirus and invasive bacterial disease surveillance network. The VINUVA workshop was held on 5-6 June 2012 in Paramaribo, Suriname for Caribbean countries that are part of the rotavirus diarrheal surveillance network. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the new surveil-lance reporting processes between the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC) and its reporting countries; discuss the required surveillance indicators; identify the person in each hospital responsible for the monthly recording of the surveillance data in VINUVA; identify the person per country responsible for verifying and approving the surveillance data; and train participants in using the VINUVA tool.

• (May) Fourth International Workshop on Good Practices for Safe Injection and Course on Cold Chain Operations and Maintenance

  On 26-29 March 2012, the fourth International workshop on Good Practices for Safe Injection and a Course on Cold Chain Operations and Maintenance were held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The purpose of the Workshop was to train and update health professionals on safe injection practices, new technologies, good storage practices, and preventing risks associated with needle accidents.

• (May) Immunization Programme Evaluation in French Guiana

  From 9-18 May 2012, the local Regional Health Agency and PAHO jointly evaluated the immunization programme of the French Department of Guyane. French Guiana is located in the North-east of South America and shares borders with Brazil and Suriname. With 236,250 inhabitants in 2011 and a surface of 83,500 km2, it is sparsely populated (2.8 persons per km2).

• (May) First Pan-American Vaccine Safety Summit

  On 10 May, public health officials from across the Americas converged on the Anschutz Medical Campus at the University of Colorado for the first Pan American Vaccine Safety Summit. The purpose of the two-day summit, organized by the Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization and the University of Colorado, was to create new ways of delivering immunizations safely.

• (May) Workshop to Define the Main Indicators and Visualizations for the Immunization Module of the Regional Health Observatory

  From 21-25 May 2012, participants from selected countries of the Americas, WHO, EURO, PATH-Optimize met to discuss the main indicators and visualization to be included in the Immunization Module of the Regional Health Observatory, as well as redesign PAHO’s immunization data dissemination products. Guidance on what PAHO should recommend to countries for improving immunization data quality, analysis, monitoring and evaluation, and use of the information for decision-making was also sought.

• (April) 3rd Annual Meeting of the International Expert Committee (IEC) for Documenting and Verifying the Elimination of Measles, Rubella and CRS

  The International Expert Committee (IEC), responsible for documenting and verifying the elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the Americas, met on 29-30 March 2012, at the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) headquarters. The objective of the meeting was to assess the progress achieved on this topic and to define the road map to sustain the elimination of these diseases in the Region. The Presidents and members of National Commissions along with health authorities from countries that reported sustained measles outbreaks and rubella cases in 2011 were also convened for an ad-hoc meeting with the IEC.

• (April) 10th Anniversary of Vaccination Week in the Americas and the 1st ever World Immunization Week

  This year marks two milestone events in public health: the 10th anniversary of Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA), and the 1st ever World Immunization Week (WIW). In the Americas, over the last ten years, VWA has grown to become the largest multinational health initiative in the Region, thanks to the political commitment of governments and the dedication of the Region’s health care workers. The objectives of Vaccination Week are: 1) to advance equity and improve access to vaccination for people of all ages through outreach to underserved and marginalized communities; 2) increase vaccination coverage of all antigens to prevent disease outbreaks; 3) raise awareness on how immunization saves lives; 4) to maintain the topic on the political agenda; and 5) to promote the transition from child to family immunization.

   

• El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala Launch Tenth Vaccination Week in the Americas

  

  The President of the Republic of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes and the Assistant Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Socorro Gross, along with health authorities of...

• PAHO Revolving Fund helps countries acquire vaccines for Vaccination Week in the Americas

  

  The vast majority of vaccines being used in Latin America and the Caribbean during the 10th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas, 21 to 28 April 2012, were acquired through a special...

• Honduras launches Vaccination Week with representatives of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, government officials, and the Assistant Director of PAHO

  

  Honduras launched its Vaccination Week on April 25 with Health Secretary, Dr. Arturo Bendaña, accompanied by Dr. Socorro Gross...
• Vaccination sparks new hope in a Haitian school

  

  Marc Antoine Withney is the principal and main teacher at the Salen Mixed Instruction Center, an elementary school in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Port-of-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Like the small houses surrounding it, the school...

• Vaccination Week in the Americas seeks to protect 44 million people in the region

  

  With the goal of vaccinating some 44 million people, 45 countries and territories of the Americas are set to participate in the 10^th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas as well as the first-ever World...

• Latin American Celebrities Support Vaccination Week in the Americas

  
  
  More than a half-dozen Latin American celebrities will join forces with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) next week to promote the 10th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas...

• First Ladies Help Launch of Vaccination Week in the Americas

  

  On April 15, the first ladies of Latin America and the Caribbean helped launch of the 10th Vaccination Week in the Americas at an event held at the Juan Felipe Gomez Escobar Foundation in Cartagena... (In Spanish)

• PAHO and the Ministry of Health of Colombia Launch Vaccination Week in the Americas at Regional Summit

  

  Vaccination Week in the Americas is a joint effort between all the countries of the hemisphere and benefit all the region’s residents, said Dr. Mirta Roses Periago, Director of the Pan American...
  
  

• PAHO Director Will Participate in VI Summit of the Americas and Launch of Vaccination Week

  
  PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago will participate in the VI Summit of the Americas, being held in Cartagena, Colombia, on 14-15 April. She will also participate in launching events for Vaccination Week in the Americas and...
  
  

• Call for Nominations: 2012 PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health

  

  The call for nominations for the 2012 PAHO/PAHEF Awards for Excellence in Inter American Public Health is now open. Information regarding the awards and the nomination process can be found on the PAHEF Web site at:www.pahef.org/awards.

• PAHO photography exhibit, “Vaccination: An Act of Love,” on display at Summit of the Americas

  

  The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is sponsoring a photography exhibit, Vaccination: An Act of Love, on 10–13 April in Cartagena, Colombia...

• (March) Erratum from September2011: PROVAC Model for Evaluatiing the Cost-Effectiveness of Cervical cancer Control Strategies

  Over 275,000 (not 500,000) women die annually from cervical cancer worldwide. In the Americas, the Caribbean sub-region has the fourth highest cervical cancer incidence in the world. Achieving high coverage of secondary preventive strategies, such as cytology, to detect precancerous lesions in women has proved challenging in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). A safe and efficacious vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, a leading cause of cervical cancer in women, is now licensed for use in young girls.

• (March) Review of the Current Whooping Cough Situation in the Americas, Buenos Aires, 22 March 2012

  Senior Advisor, Dr Cuauhtémoc Ruiz Matus and Regional Advisor, Dr Mauricio Landaverde of PAHO’s Comprehensive Family Immunization Project, along with select participants of Latin American countries conducted a review of the current situation of whooping cough and of the strategies recently implemented in some of the countries of the Region in order to mitigate the outbreaks and the case-fatality of this vaccine-preventable disease.

• (March) Caribbean EPI Managers Meet to Discuss Progress of Programmes and Immunization Coverage

  The 28th meeting of the Caribbean Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) managers was held in Bridgetown, Barbados, 27 February-2 March 2012. The meeting convened over 120 participants from 30 countries, as well as representatives from international agencies such as the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Canadian Public Health Agency (CPHA). Participants included representatives from the Ministries of Health, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/ WHO), and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC).

• (March) PROVAC Experience-Sharing Workshop: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control Strategies

  On 22-23 March 2012, the Pan American Health Organization’s (PAHO) ProVac Initiative held an "experience sharing workshop" on the use of the CERVIVAC model (a ProVac tool for cost-effectiveness analysis of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and cervical cancer screening strategies), in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eight country teams, comprised of EPI managers, cervical cancer programme managers, PAHO Immunization focal points, health economists and other professionals, participated in the meeting.

• (March) Lessons Learned with the Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) in Latin-America and the Caribbean (LAC)

  On 20-21 March 2012, PAHO immunization project conducted a workshop in Buenos Aires, Argentina to identify lessons learned from the introduction of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Some of the meeting objectives were to share experiences between countries with different scenarios and vaccination schedules as well as to identify the strengths, opportunities and problems that arose in the logistic and operational process of the PCV introduction. The workshop also discussed the critical aspects of the PCV introduction in order to support the introduction process in other countries of the Region and other WHO Regions.

• What could you prove with $100,000?

  Gates Foundation seeks bold new ideas to optimize immunization systems

  New lifesaving vaccines being developed and introduced in immunization programs around the world require immunization supply systems that are up to the task of ensuring that those vaccines reach the people who need them most.

  A new call for proposals from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation seeks bold new strategies to increase the effectiveness and reliability of immunization systems. The Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations grant program offers US$100,000 grants to help prove the potential of innovative approaches to optimize immunization systems.

• (February) ProVac Visit to Peru and El Salvador: A Launch and a Closing of a Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccine (PCV) Cost-effectiveness Analysis

  During the second week of February, the ProVac team initiated and concluded a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) in Peru and El Salvador, respectively.

• (February) Intensification of Vaccination Activities in the Context of Strengthening the Routine Immunization Program, Haiti 2012

  Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population is working to implement intensified vaccination activities nationwide in 2012. The country will implement a first round of vaccination using measles-rubella vaccine (RR) and OPV for children aged <=9 years (9 months to 9 years for RR) in April and a second vaccination round using polio (and Td for the elimination of neonatal tetanus) at least one month after finishing the first. Vitamin A supplements and deworming will be integrated. These supplementary immunization activities (SIA) represent a unique opportunity to strengthen Haiti’s regular immunization program, while achieving a rapid increase in vaccination coverage against polio, measles and rubella.

• Health Authorities, Cooperating Agencies and Sister Institutions Meet to Support Vaccination in Haiti

  

  Haiti’s Minister of Public Health and Population, Dr. Florence Guillaume, called on “Friends of Haiti” countries, national and international organizations, and the Haitian private sector to contribute funding for a new “Intensive Activities for Child Health” initiative.  

• Call to Action: A Cholera-Free Hispaniola

  

  In a press briefing, the governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, together with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and other key partners, launched a Call to Action for a Cholera-Free Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic).

• Progress in the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccine — Latin America and the Caribbean, 2006–2010

  Full text at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a2.htm?s_cid=mm6047a2_e&source=govdelivery

• Mobile phones: promising tool for immunization programs

  
  
  Cell phones and other mobile devices are being used to improve vaccine coverage and data collection by a growing number of immunization programs in the Region of the Americas, according to a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) expert on immunization.

• World Polio Day: 24 October
  It is World Polio Day on 24 October. Rotary International is asking all those who support global polio eradication to visit www.thisclose.net to join the likes of Bishop Desmund Tutu, Queen Noor of Jordan, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan and action star Jackie Chan to create their own personal 'This Close' poster. Supporters are encouraged to use this poster as their Facebook profile picture for World Polio Day. To see how volunteers around the world are using World Polio Day to shine a spotlight on the disease's eradication, visit: http://www.polioeradication.org/tabid/408/iid/166/Default.aspx    
• Haiti’s Health Partners Pledge Support for Plan to Improve Vaccination

  

  Representatives of key health organizations working in Haiti pledged this week to support new efforts to strengthen the country’s immunization program, including by introducing new vaccines that could save thousands of lives each year.

• 20 Years without Polio in the Americas

  This little Peruvian boy (pictured left) is Luis Fermín Tenoria. Luis was the last child in the Americas to be paralysed by indigenous wild poliovirus, first showing symptoms of the disease on 5 September 1991.
  
  Twenty years later, the region is still free from polio. But this has not been without tremendous effort.

• Countries of the Region to Meet This Year to Discuss Plan of Action for the Decade of Vaccines

  

  A regional consultation will be held with the countries of the Hemisphere from November to December 2011 to discuss the plan of action for the Decade of Vaccines, an initiative sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has already pledged $10 billion to research, development, and the distribution of vaccines in the coming years.

• Experts: Maintain Immunization Achievements and Access to New Vaccines

  

  Among the recommendations of international experts at the close of the XIX Meeting of PAHO's Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases are maintaining immunization achievements in the Americas and ensuring equitable and sustainable access to new vaccines.

• Immunization Newsletter: Over 30 Years Reaching Every Corner of the Americas

  

  In its over 30 years of existence, the Immunization Newsletter of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization has managed to reach thousands of health workers in the most remote locations in the Americas to share information on the vaccination programs with them. To celebrate its more than three decades, the e-book “Thirty Years of the Immunization Newsletter: History of the Expanded Program on Immunization in the Americas” was launched on 8 July.

• Experts call the Countries of the Americas Global Pioneers in Vaccination

  With their own programs and resources, the countries of the Americas are leading the world in the elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases like smallpox, polio, measles, and rubella, just as they are pioneering the introduction of new vaccines. 

• Haiti Presents Plan to Vaccinate 90 Percent of Children Under 1

  

  Haiti has finalized a plan to ensure immunization against the country’s most prevalent childhood diseases for at least 90 percent of children under 1 by 2015.

• PAHO/WHO Urges Travelers to the Americas to Get Vaccinated against Measles and Rubella

  

  The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging international travelers to get vaccinated against measles and rubella before visiting the Western Hemisphere, to reduce the risk of reintroducing these two diseases, which have been eliminated from the Americas.

• PAHO's Director Participates in Vaccination Week Launch in Brazil

  

  
  

  Brazilian Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha and PAHO's Director Dr. Mirta Roses participated in the launching ceremony of Vaccination Week in the Americas in Manaus, Brazil, on April 30th.

• Experts Meeting to Assess Progress on Measles and Rubella Elimination in the Americas

  

  An international expert committee responsible for verifying the elimination of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) from the Americas is meeting this week (Mar. 21-22) at PAHO headquarters to map out progress made and actions still needed for these diseases to be finally declared eliminated.

• Haiti, Partners Outline New Immunization Action Plan

  Officials from Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health met with counterparts from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), UNICEF, and other partners here today to outline their new plan to improve immunization services in Haiti over the next five years, including the introduction of three new vaccines.  

• Ricardo Montaner is Named PAHO Champion of Health

  Ricardo Montaner, the South American singer-songwriter who has sold more than 25 million records, was named a Champion of Health today by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), for his support of vaccination initiatives in the Americas.

• Workshop to Share Lessons Learned on the Development and Implementation of National Computerized Nominal Immunization Registries, Bogotá, Colombia, 1-3 February 2011

  From 1-3 Feb 2011, 20 countries of the Americas came together in Bogotá, Colombia to discuss issues related to the development and implementation of national computerized nominal immunization registries in the Region. The goal of the workshop was to share experiences and lessons learned among those countries using computerized nominal immunization registries, those advanced in their development and implementation, and those now starting to develop national registries.

• New Champion of Health Ricardo Montaner Will Support PAHO's Vaccination Week in the Americas 2011
  Artist Ricardo Montaner will receive the Champion of Health Award from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) on 23 February, in a ceremony at the PAHO headquarters, for his support for vaccination campaigns in the Americas. (in Spanish)

   

• PAHO/WHO Urges Travelers to Get Vaccinated Before Entering Haiti

  The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is urging all international travelers to Haiti to get up-to-date on their vaccines, to ensure they do not unknowingly import infectious diseases into Haiti.

• Rotavirus Vaccines Are Improving the Health and Well-being of Children by Substantially Reducing Severe and Fatal Diarrhea

  Study findings in the January 2011 special supplement to The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal demonstrate the substantial impact of rotavirus vaccines on the health of children in developed and developing countries that have introduced the vaccines.

• Experts Call for International Cholera Vaccine Stockpile

  A group of experts convened by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) today urged the creation of an international stockpile of cholera vaccine and called for the use of current vaccines in a pilot project in Haiti that would be expanded as more vaccine becomes available.