Bridgetown, Barbados, 26 February 2024 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), will convene a three-day workshop in Saint Lucia on the 26th to 28th February 2024, to review and discuss the new support that Gavi is giving to middle-income countries (MICs) for critical New Vaccine Introductions.
Within the framework of its strategy for MICs, Gavi can provide catalytic funding in the form of technical assistance, one-off costs, and vaccines supplies to achieve equitable and sustainable introductions for rotavirus, pneumococcus, and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines. Approved by the Gavi board in 2020, the MICs Approach addresses threats to the equity and sustainability of routine immunisation programmes, contributing to Gavi’s vision of leaving no one behind with immunisation.
In the post pandemic era, the Caribbean subregion has made steady progress in recovering its immunization coverage rates for most antigens. However, significant efforts are still needed to achieve the required coverage to mitigate the risk of potential outbreaks.
The workshop will be an opportunity to share an update on vaccine coverage in the region; exchange experiences amongst participating countries; present the types of support that countries can apply for through Gavi’s Middle-Income Countries strategy and to discuss opportunities for future collaboration. Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) Managers, Chief Medical Officers, pharmacists and Health Planners from Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, will participate across the three days.
“We are pleased to collaborate with Gavi in providing countries with alternative resources for obtaining these essential vaccines. In the past, our region boasted robust immunization coverage, and through initiatives like this, we aim to strengthen that legacy and rejuvenate our efforts for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” said Dr. Amalia Del Riego, PAHO/WHO Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries.
“With outbreaks and the climate change associated risks threatening global health security, ensuring that all children, no matter where they live have access to life-saving vaccines is an urgent priority for Gavi,” said Tito Rwamushaija, Head of Middle Income Countries Engagement at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “We look forward to collaborating with partners and countries to help bridge equity gaps and protect communities in the Caribbean region. “For more than a decade, Gavi has been a strategic partner of PAHO and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) at the regional and country level. This partnership helped strengthen immunization programs for Gavi -eligible countries, and COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) countries in the region during the Covid-19 pandemic.
About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.
Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 1 billion children – and prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
About PAHO
PAHO is the specialized health agency of the Inter-American System and serves as the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Americas. Established in 1902, PAHO is the world’s oldest international health agency and works with countries in the region to improve and protect people's health. The organization supports countries in tackling communicable and noncommunicable diseases and in responding to emergencies and disasters and provides technical cooperation to strengthen health systems and ensure equitable access to healthcare.
For more than 40 years, PAHO’s Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines, has provided access to safe and quality vaccines at affordable prices for Member States and Territories throughout the region and support countries' efforts to achieve sustainable and equitable reduction of morbidity and mortality of vaccine-preventable diseases through control and elimination strategies. More info: https://www.paho.org/en/revolving-fund.
Media Contacts
Cirũ Kariũki
+41 79 913 94 41
ckariuki@gavi.org
Brenda Lashley
246-836-2671
lashleyb@paho.org
