Vaccines bring us closer to a healthier Caribbean

Safe and effective vaccines have been available and used for more than 100 years to prevent the spread of contagious, life-threatening diseases.   Vaccinations have, in some instances, eliminated diseases that cause mortality, and in the Caribbean region, vaccinations have led to significant improvements in health.

This year, under the theme “Vaccines bring us closer. #GetVax” CARPHA joins its partners and the rest of the world in observing the 19th Annual Vaccination Week in the Americas.  This year’s campaign which runs from April 24 to 30,  seeks to demonstrate how vaccination connects us to the people, goals and moments that matter to us most, helping to improve the health of everyone, everywhere, throughout life.

Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director at the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) states, “We, in the Caribbean have been well served as our countries have applied high standards in the delivery of vaccination programmes.  As the first region to eliminate measles, the Caribbean is the leader among regions of the world.   This has allowed our children to survive because they no longer develop severe measles infections.  Vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent influenza, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases. This scientific innovation also brings us closer to family.  Vaccinations are an important part of family and public health.  They protect not only you but your entire community.”

Vaccines bring us closer to a world where no one suffers or dies from a vaccine-preventable disease.   In 1971, smallpox was successfully eradicated from the Caribbean, followed by the eradication of polio in 1994, and rubella and congenital rubella syndrome in 2015.

Dr. St. John added that if we fall behind in our established immunisation programmes, we run the risk of the recurrence of measles and other previously eradicated diseases.  To maintain community protection, Ministries of Health should continue their routine vaccine coverage. This will ensure that a person completes their vaccination schedule in the shortest possible time frame for effective protection.  Continued vigilance is important, and general practitioners should remain alert and prepared to take appropriate actions in suspected cases of vaccine-preventable diseases.

CARPHA supports regional strategic vaccination planning in Member States. The Agency is equipped to investigate and manage communicable diseases, including vaccine preventable diseases, like polio, measles, and rubella.

In March and April of this year, CARPHA Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) issued technical reviews and certificates of recommendation for emergency use to CARPHA Member States for four COVID-19 vaccines: Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine by SK Biosciences, COVISHIELD™ by the Serum Institute of India, COMIRNATY(TM) vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech, and COVID-19 vaccine Janssen by Janssen-Cilag (Johnson and Johnson).

CARPHA has also launched a survey to obtain views on the COVID-19 vaccines of people living in the Region, and to determine their willingness to be vaccinated.  The survey is available in English, Spanish and Dutch.

Last year, CARPHA brought together specialists in communications and health promotion from across the Region.  The aim was to hone their risk communication skills, so that they can effectively respond to people’s concerns, opinions, emotions and reactions, in preparation for the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in the Caribbean.

Building defences against vaccine preventable diseases is a team effort, and each and every one of us is an integral part of that defence.

Vaccines bring us closer to doing what we love with those we love.  Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made sacrifices to keep our loved ones and community safe from the virus.  Now, the COVID-19 vaccines offer us the safest path back to normal by preventing deaths and severe disease.

However, no single tool alone will stop the pandemic. Along with other public health prevention measures, such as wearing a mask, physical distancing and hand sanitizing, the protection provided through the safe and effective use of vaccines will help end the pandemic and bring us closer again.

More information about vaccines can be accessed at: https://carpha.org/What-We-Do/Public-Health/Novel-Coronavirus/COVID-19-Vaccine-Information

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8 Comments

  1. April 30, 2021

    These ridiculous comment make me wish there were a vaccine for ignorance. :roll:

  2. Gary
    April 29, 2021

    In my previous comment I posted a link in support of my comment unfortunately the link no longer exist, but I was able to find related information comparable to the info. of the nonexistent link. https://thevaccinereaction.org/2018/02/pasteur-vs-bechamp-the-germ-theory-debate/

    As I have said before there is something called genuine freedom of discussion, it is how truth is arrived at. Here is something very interesting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eeAtC-JPYM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwubbmQZJgw

  3. Gary
    April 28, 2021

    I wonder when these people write such releases do they really understand what health is in regard to life and living. Living healthy is not about getting sick and then going to them for a cure, are these people really interested in the health of Caribbean people as they say. https://mnwelldir.org/docs/history/biographies. A person health is optimum for living, our greatest procession is our inner life, information as it regards to health is a serious thing and should not be dabbled with in with propaganda and half-truths by some authority with a nice name we know little about. https://forbiddenknowledgetv.net/medical-journals-corrupt-to-the-core/

  4. markfeen
    April 28, 2021

    Vaccines bring us closer to more deaths, to more dictatorship, to more variants, to more money for big pharma, to more worldwide genocide.

  5. Poloket
    April 27, 2021

    Is that so, boy since I take that vaccine is diarrhea in my backside.

  6. natzar
    April 27, 2021

    Nursing Mothers Experiencing Their Milk Supply Stop After Receiving a COVID Injection
    Source:- https://healthimpactnews.com/2021/nursing-mothers-experiencing-their-milk-supply-stop-after-receiving-a-covid-injection/

  7. Waiting For Airport
    April 27, 2021

    Stop lie, vaccines have a history of killing… Tuskeegee , sterilizing African women, adverse effects on Indian children, Autism in the UK/US… 1000s dead so far from this latest one – but they not publishing that!

    You cannot prosecute if the vaccine hurt you… why that level of immunity? They know these things are not safe. Most of the companies behind these vaccines have multiple law suits for their other products, but they protected from the vaccine (think about it)!

    Articles like these are just propaganda and one sided. Publish all the people who die and those suffering all kinds of side effects. Publish the views of the medical professionals all over the world warning against this. Why only propaganda from people those pushing the vaccine agenda? We are in an age of extremely biased journalism! Everyday another propaganda based article!

    Our ancestors survived without vaccines, not sure if we will survive after taking them!

  8. click here
    April 27, 2021

    Nice little article to try to help dominicans accept the jab more. What this artile isnt telling you is that Even after taking multiple stots of these new supposed COVID-19 “vaccines”, you can (1) still get the virus (2) still spread the virus (3) still be required to social distance (4) still be required to wear a mask.

    Imagine being told to wear a “raincoat” and they give you one that still lets you get completely drenched (wet) from head to toe. Most reasonable people would think, “maybe it was a waste of time wearing it in the first place”. Whats worse, is that it came at a cost.

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