Latest update June 1st, 2026 12:37 AM
Vaccination Week in the Americas seeks to protect 44 million people in the region
– more than 180 countries and territories join in the first World Immunization Week
Under the theme “For you, for me, for everyone: Get vaccinated.” 45 countries and 
territories of the Americas are set to participate in the 10th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas as well as the first-ever World Immunization Week, both on April 21 to April 28.
According to Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), the goal is to vaccinate some 44 million people in 45 countries and territories of the Americas.
More than 365 million people of all ages have been vaccinated during the past nine years in campaigns carried out within the framework of Vaccination Week in the Americas.
The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has supported Vaccination Week in the Americas since 2003, when it was first launched. The success of the initiative has provided inspiration for other regions of the world, which this year have joined together for the first World Immunization Week.
“Vaccination Week in the Americas is an extraordinary achievement that has significantly advanced immunization in our region,” said PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses Periago. “Now the whole world is joining the effort to expand and protect the achievements of vaccination.”
The countries of the Americas have been world leaders in the elimination and reduction of vaccine-preventable diseases. The region was the first to eradicate smallpox (in 1971) and to eliminate polio (in 1991). The last endemic case of measles in the Americas was reported in 2002, and the last endemic case of rubella in 2009.
Nearly all countries have eliminated neonatal tetanus as a public health problem. And diseases including diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough have been significantly reduced thanks to vaccination coverage averaging 93% in children under of one.
It was further noted that despite such successes, many children in the Americas have not completed their vaccination schedules, and hard-to-reach populations continue to have lower rates of vaccination coverage. Vaccination Week in the Americas was launched to close these gaps and protect the region’s hard-won achievements.
Immunization is one of the most cost-effective and successful tools in public health, and prevents an estimated two million to three million deaths each year around the world.
This year, countries and territories will deploy vaccines against a wide range of diseases, including polio, measles, rubella, mumps, diphtheria, whooping cough, neonatal tetanus, influenza and yellow fever, among others. All vaccines have been prequalified by WHO to guarantee their quality and safety.
Health workers, volunteers and health authorities are gearing up to participate in what has become the region’s largest multi-country health event. A number of celebrities are supporting this year’s effort, including Chilean TV host Don Francisco and Venezuelan singer Ricardo Montaner, both PAHO Champions of Health.
Other celebrities promoting this year’s event include Cuban-American actor, William Levy, Colombian singer Juanes, Spanish dancer Joaquín Cortés, and Venezuelan singer Carlos Baute.
Vaccination Week in the Americas helps strengthen national immunization programs in PAHO/WHO member countries and strives to reach groups that otherwise have limited access to regular health services, including people living in peri-urban, rural and border areas as well as indigenous communities.
Following launching activities during last week’s Sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, countries throughout the hemisphere will hold similar launches starting April 21. Haiti will be the site of the first of these activities, as it was 10 years ago when the first Vaccination Week in the Americas was launched. Other launches will be held on April 27 in Las Palmas, on the triple border of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala; and on May 4 in Barbados, for the Caribbean sub-region.
Globally, more than 180 countries and territories are set to participate in the first World Immunization Week, whose slogan is “Protect your world: get vaccinated
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