Ministry joins in celebration of Vaccination Week

The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment joins the Pan American Health Organization and Latin America and the Caribbean to celebrate the 14th Vaccination Week in the Americas 2016 during the period April 23-29, under the theme GOING FOR THE GOLD! GET VACCINATED, and with the following objectives:{{more}}

1. To continue to promote immunization as one of the best public health interventions

2. To provide information to the general public about immunization

3. To continue to promote equity and access to immunization

4. To update the immunization status of the general population

5. To maintain immunization on the political agenda

Vaccination Week in the Americas is an annual initiative in countries and territories of the Americas to highlight the work of national expanded programmes on immunization (EPI) and increase access to vaccination services.

Several events will be held to celebrate the week.

Sunday, April 24: Radio Message by the Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment to declare the week open.

Tuesday, April 26: Global Switch Day: On this day all health centres will switch from trivalent oral polio to bivalent oral polio. All facilities will be required to remove and destroy trivalent oral polio vaccine from their cold chains.

Friday, April 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m: A Health Fair will be held at the Old Public Library. Basic health checks (blood pressure and sugar testing, HIV rapid testing ) will be done and information booths will be set up and the general population will have the opportunity to be immunized with yellow fever, Hepatitis B and tetanus vaccines.

Saturday, April 30: Immunization fitness and fun walk, from 5:30 a.m. Meeting at and leaving from the Kingstown Preparatory School up Town Hill. Turn right on to Cane Garden. Exit at Sion Hill Junction. Along the main road to the Round-about. Back to Kingstown via the main road. Back to Kingstown Preparatory School (A light breakfast will be served!)