‘Vaccinate now or pay later’ …Caribbean sounds alarm as measles cases surge

Apr 27, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) on Saturday launched Caribbean Vaccination Week 2026 at the Umana Yana, Georgetown.

The launch, which is in keeping with the 24^th annual Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA), is being held under the theme “Your decision makes a difference: Prevention is protection, vaccinate now!”

Delivering remarks about the Caribbean VWA, PAHO’s Assistant Director, Dr. Rhonda Sealey said the initiative started 24 years ago with the primary objective of strengthening immunization programs because of an outbreak of measles.

“Vaccination week is really to focus on reaching persons in vulnerability and those with limited access to health services in particular populations, in border and rural areas, urban hemispheres and indigenous communities and other high-risk groups,” Dr. Sealey said.

She explained why PAHO found it fitting to launch vaccination week in Guyana noting that the country has vulnerable populations coupled with those living in border communities who have limited access to vaccines.

“Guyana is home not only in a geographic sense, but in our shared values, resilience, and our collective commitment to protecting the health of our people,” she expressed.

Regarding this year’s theme “Your decision makes a difference”, she noted it underscores the role everyone plays, that is “Every policy decision, every clinical interaction, and every conversation with a parent contributes to stronger immunization systems and healthcare communities.”

According to the Assistant Director, this year, Vaccination Week in the Americas is strategically aligned with PAHO’s disease elimination initiative where they are seeking to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions by 2030.

“And these include 11 vaccine preventable diseases, five of these are polio, measles, rubella, congenital rubella syndrome, and maternal tetanus have already been eliminated in the Caribbean,” she shared.

According to the Director, this accomplishment underscores what is possible when science, political commitment, and a dedicated public health workforce are brought together in support of a common goal.

She added that across the Caribbean, they are seeing steady progress beyond elimination milestones.

Dr. Sealey disclosed that polio’s recovery has increased from 92% in 2022 to 95% in 2025, meeting the regional target with countries such as Guyana, Montserrat, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines achieving 100 percent coverage.

Another milestone the Caribbean is doing well in is the strengthening of surveillance system. This reflects the improved detection and reporting across the sub region including Guyana.

“So, for example when we vaccinate against measles we don’t just vaccinate and assume that persons would not get the disease. We do have surveillance for fever and rash so that we can detect cases early and in take necessary measures and make sure that the disease is not reintroduced,” Dr. Sealey explained.

The Caribbean is also making progress with the introduction of new vaccines in strengthening immunization systems.

In parallel, she said that countries have also strengthened their immunization system to the adaptation of new tools and guidelines, including the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) self-assessment using PAHO’s developed monitoring framework. PAHO, she mentioned will continue to support Caribbean countries with technical guidelines and model Caribbean EPI legislation and the Caribbean EPI template manual.

PAHO’s Assistant Director said that despite the Region’s successes, important challenges still persist, such as decline in vaccination coverage and outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

“HPV vaccine coverage in particular continues to vary across the Caribbean and vaccine hesitancy and misinformation remain a concern,” she highlighted.

Further, Dr. Sealey noted that there has been a rise in measles cases which is concerning and cannot be ignored. “In 2025, a total of 14,767 cases of measles were reported in the Americas, more than 30 times higher than in 2024. And alarmingly, in just the first 4 and half months of 2026, cases have already surpassed the 2025 total, reaching 15,366. In 2025, hospitalizations made up 13% of reported cases of measles and there were 43 deaths unfortunately across 2025 and 2026,” she disclosed.

Noting the importance of vaccination, she stated that the situation is a strong reminder that maintaining high vaccination coverage prevents illness, death, and broader societal deprivation. “In the Caribbean, where cases have been identified, countries have responded swiftly and effectively to contain and maintain both imported and related cases. This reflects strong coordination, robust preparedness, and a clear commitment to protecting the health of populations,” she said.

Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony stated that Vaccination Week is an important exercise because it ensures the population is protected against diseases.

He noted however, that there are challenges which affect vaccination rates. One challenge he pointed out is the misinformation that people pedal around about vaccines.

“And if we allow the misinformation to persist, then it would harm how we are able to roll out vaccines not just in Guyana but across the Caribbean. And so, while we focus on getting vaccines to people, we also have more importantly to combat this misinformation that is often peddled about vaccine,” he explained.

During his remarks, he said Guyana has made significant strides in vaccination coverage and contributing to this, is the partnership the country has with organizations like PAHO and WHO in sourcing vaccines.

Dr. Anthony said too that the vaccination coverage is as a result of the various programmes the government has rolled out over the years for both children and adult, and the investments being made in building the infrastructure.

The minister noted that the dedicated healthcare workers have played an important part for they have travelled coastland and interior areas to ensure people are served.

“While we work and we feel proud of what we’ve achieved, we know that there are always room for improvement. So, we are constantly working and innovating and see how we could do better,” he commented.

As Vaccination Week commences, the minister said the government has a target of 60,000 women getting HPV vaccinated, an important vaccination which safe guards them from the deadly cervical cancer.

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• cervical cancer, Dr. Frank Anthony, PAHO, Umana Yana, Vaccination Week 2026

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