Rome (Fides Service) - With the participation of the Pan American Health Organisation OPS and the governments of United States, Mexico and Canada the annual Vaccination Week has started in all countries from Canada to Chile.
The aim of this regional initiative is to boost Basic Health Programmes through the identification of those who have no access to vaccines, people in remote areas, indigenous communities and ethnic minority groups. It is a Week which offers a message of unity and equality .
The Week aims to vaccinate more than 44 million people of all ages: 20.9 million children under five; 1.5 million women of child bearing age; 12 million people over 60; 7.1 million adults; 242,000 indigenous people and 2.2 people at risk. Most of the vaccinations will be for children.
One regional priority is to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella and many countries take the opportunity of the Week to promote vaccinations. Paraguay will vaccinate 3.5 million people aged between 5 and 39.
Brazil intends to offer influenza vaccine to some 200,000 indigenous people and 12 million adults over 60. Guatemala will add to its basic vaccination programme Pentavalente against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, and meningitis. Some 255,000 children under 5 will be vaccinated and of these 55,000 with this vaccine. In Peru almost 3 million people over 2 will be vaccinated against yellow fever; Colombia will vaccinate 228,775 children, Chile 1.1 million aged between 1 to 4, Argentina 3.5 million.
According to the report of the OPS, last year 15 million children under 5 five were vaccinated and 9,124,665 million adults; 13,738,481 million adults over 60 and 3,387,022 million women of childbearing age. (AP) (29/4/2005 Agenzia Fides; Righe:30 Parole:368)