WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says 65 million vaccine doses were administered across 34 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) during Vaccination Week (VWA) last year.

PAHO said that the VWA was supported by the Canadian government and that the figure reflects a substantial increase of two million doses over the 63 million administered during VWA 2023.

PAHO said it will, this year, continue to collaborate with Canada and countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region to expand access to vaccines, particularly for vulnerable communities, and overcome vaccine hesitancy.

According to data released by PAHO, VWA carried out from April 20-27, 2024, underscored the region’s commitment to combatting vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) and advancing efforts to regain and surpass pre-pandemic vaccination levels.

“Vaccination week has been a flagship initiative of our organisation for more than 20 years,” said PAHO Director Dr Jarbas Barbosa.

“Historically, our region has been a leader in disease elimination. However, for more than a decade, vaccination coverage has declined significantly due to several factors, among them, the false perception that diseases that have been eliminated or controlled no longer pose a risk to people’s health.”

PAHO said Global Affairs Canada (GAC) played a key role in VWA 2024, providing financial support through Canada’s global Can GIVE initiative for vaccine equity. It said this funding helped ensure equitable vaccine access, particularly in underserved areas, and strengthened healthcare systems across the region.

PAHO said over 30 million doses of influenza vaccines were administered in 23 countries, targeting high-risk groups such as pregnant women, the elderly and healthcare workers.

Approximately 11.5 million people were immunised against COVID-19, spread across 16 participating countries.

VWA successfully vaccinated 3.8 million individuals against polio and 4.3 million against measles, supporting regional goals to prevent the resurgence of these diseases.

VWA also vaccinated 2.7 million people against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which can lead to cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of death among women in the region.

PAHO said during VWA 2024, countries also focused on increasing the uptake of routine vaccination against diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus (DPT vaccine), and against measles mumps, and rubella (MMR vaccine).

It said countries focused on vaccination of vulnerable groups such as indigenous and tribal communities in Brazil, Colombia, and Suriname.

PAHO said the regional goals of VWA 2024 focused on using the event to continue to reinvigorate national immunisation programmes, which were in a long-term decline that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It said thanks to efforts like the VWA, the Americas celebrated 30 years of being certified as polio-free in 2024 and regained its measles-free status.

Dr Barbosa said the 2023 World Health Organization (WHO) vaccination data released last year, showed that the Americas has shown important progress in reversing the downward trend in vaccination.

“The Americas region shows positive results, undoubtedly due to the efforts of health professionals in countries, to the investments made, to political commitment, and to the responsible population that recognises the importance of vaccination,” he said.

He said that as of July 2024, the Americas was the only WHO region to exceed pre-pandemic vaccination levels, “indicating a considerable acceleration in recovery”.

But he warned that some countries still lag behind. Continuous efforts are needed to “once again achieve the vaccination coverage that historically put us at the top of the global ranking”.

Dr Barbosa has also emphasised the need for sustained investment in immunisation programmes, including the adoption of innovations like geo-referencing tools to identify gaps and strategies to combat vaccine hesitancy.

The 2024 VWA campaign continued to build on decades of progress. Since PAHO initiated VWA in 2002, the initiative has reached over 1.2 billion people, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of immunisation efforts in Latin America and the Caribbean.