Cockburn Town, Turks and Caicos Islands - 31 Oct. 2023 - Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI/TCA) was awarded the Henry C Smith Immunization Award for improvements achieved in vaccination rates for children under the age of 5 years at the 37th Meeting of Caribbean Immunization Managers Meeting in Belize City, Belize on 31 October 2023
The Henry C Smith Immunization Award was established in 2004 in honour of Mr Henry C Smith, the first PAHO-EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunization) technical officer for the Caribbean. The immunization trophy is awarded to the country/territory that has made the greatest improvement in immunization rates and is presented at the end of the EPI Managers’ Meeting each year.
TCI made great strides in improving rates of vaccinations for three series of vaccinations (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus/Polio 3 (DPT/Polio 3); Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Dose 1; and (MMR2) between 2021 and 2022. These gains are significant for the protection of the population against the re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases. PAHO/WHO extends congratulations to the TCI Ministry of Health and Human Services on the achievements it has attained and the work which led to these accomplishments.
