“Vaccination Week” will be observed this year from April 19 to 25, under the slogan: “Vaccination, An Act of Love – Love Them; Protect Them; Immunise Them” and the theme “Vaccination – A Family Affair”.

The seventh Vaccination Week in the Americas will emphasise vaccination of the whole family, and the immunisation of health workers.

To mark the occasion, the Health Ministry will hold two major activities. This Sunday, April 19, there will be a church service at the Power in the Blood Assembly, Tudor Bridge; St. Michael, from 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday, April 22, will see health professionals participating in a half-day workshop and quiz at the National Union of Public Workers Auditorium, Dalkeith, St. Michael. This will be conducted from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Minister of Health, Donville Inniss, will deliver remarks at the opening of the session and launch a survey to measure immunisation coverage of children in Barbados.

The objectives of the survey are to validate the officially reported vaccination coverage data for the country; validate coverage of the second dose of MMR (Measles Mumps Rubella) vaccine, which is administered to children between the ages of three and five years; identify any weaknesses in the functioning of Barbados’ vaccination programme; and identify groups of children who were not inoculated.

The survey will be conducted by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre.

“Vaccination Week” was first proposed in 2003 by Ministers of the Sub-Andean region, when they were responding to an outbreak of measles. Although the effort is being championed by PAHO/WHO, other partners include UNICEF, USAID, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Red Cross and service clubs, such as Rotary International and the Kiwanis.

jgill@barbados.gov.bb

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