Belize City , April 21 2008 - Vaccination Week in the Americas (VWA) is celebrated every year in April throughout the Americas . It is an initiative that aims to revitalize the political commitment to vaccination and promote a culture of prevention. This year VWA is celebrating its 6th anniversary and will be celebrated during the period April 19-26. The highlight will be the Caravan for Health, in which high level officials of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), including the Director and the Assistant Director, will make appearances with Ministers of Health at venues in Central America, from the USA-Mexico border to Panama .

In Belize VWA was first celebrated in 2004 with a mass campaign to immunize men against rubella. Subsequently the Week has focused on social mobilization and the promotional aspects of immunization. This year the focus will be on increasing coverage for measles as well as other vaccines, and posters, banners, and leaflets will be distributed countrywide in both English and Spanish. Ministry of Health professionals, including the Director of Health Services and the manager responsible for the immunization program, will make appearances on KREM and Love TV. Ads in both Spanish and English will be aired throughout the week.

On April 24, the Hon. Pablo Marin, Minister of Health, Belize, and Hon. Dr. Jose Angel Cordoba Villalobos, Minister of Health, Mexico, will jointly participate in activities at the Belize-Mexico border to observe VWA 2008. The activities will start at 10 a.m. in the Corozal Free Zone, when both Ministers of Health will tour immunization booths that will be set up there. Other health-related services such as Pap smear screening, dental care, medical check-ups, and vector control activities will also be taking place. The delegation will then proceed to the Teatro Constituente in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico, where participants will view a display of the highlights of the technical cooperation between Belize and Mexico, which has existed for over 20 years. During the ceremony, special remarks will be delivered by the Ministers of Health and the PAHO/WHO representatives of both countries. The ceremony will end with the passing of a symbolic torch from Mexico to Belize .

The Pan American Health Organization, which is the Regional Office of the World Health Organization, was founded in 1902, and works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of their peoples. The PAHO/WHO Country Office in Belize was established in the 1950s.