Despite vaccination gains, 1.2 million children under one remain unprotected in the Americas – PAHO/WHO

Washington DC April 18, 2024 (PAHO/WHO) – With 15 out of every 100 children in the Americas only partially protected against vaccine-preventable diseases, the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, has urged countries in the region to continue efforts to recover routine vaccination coverage.

“Historically, our Region has always been a leader in the elimination of diseases. However, for more than a decade, vaccination coverage has decreased significantly,” said Dr. Barbosa during a press conference today on the occasion of the upcoming Vaccination Week in the Americas. This is due to several factors, including the false perception that eliminated and controlled diseases no longer represent a risk to people’s health; a reduction in the prioritization of vaccination programs; and the increase in misinformation since the COVID-19 pandemic, among other factors.

While improvements have been made to recover lost ground, the PAHO Director stressed that more must be done to recover regional vaccination coverage, particularly for highly contagious diseases such as measles. «This is very concerning, given the increase in measles cases around the world and the highly contagious nature of this virus,» said Dr. Barbosa.

Countries also remain far from the 90% coverage rate needed to protect girls ages 9 to 14 against the Human Papillomavirus (HPV), “which provides them with lifelong protection against cervical cancer, a of the main causes of death among women,” said Dr. Barbosa.

The PAHO Director highlighted that as countries work towards recovery, they must overcome several challenges. To do this, they will need to increase financial and technical resources to improve the performance of essential vaccination services, establish effective communication strategies to address vaccine hesitancy, and increase political commitment to routine vaccination programs.

Dr. Barbosa assured that PAHO is ready “to support countries as they strengthen disease surveillance, increase vaccination coverage rates in all corners of their national territory, and avoid outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.”

The Organization’s regional vaccine procurement mechanism, the Revolving Fund for Vaccine Access, which has provided countries with more than 130 million vaccine doses in 2022 and 2023, also allows countries in the region to access Safe and quality vaccines at affordable prices.

In addition, PAHO’s special program, a regional innovation and production platform, continues to support regional vaccine manufacturing. This “will not only benefit the countries of the Americas during emergencies, but will also help improve access to vaccines for regular programs,” said Dr. Barbosa.

Thanks to vaccination, “we have been able to live happier, healthier, longer and more active lives, while minimizing the threat of vaccine-preventable diseases,” the Director added.

This has only been possible thanks to immunization efforts. «We can’t be complacent,» she added. “Vaccines keep us and our loved ones protected against more than 20 diseases and must continue to play their key role in our societies.”