The Cayman Islands this week joins with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in observing Vaccination Week in the Americas from 21-28 April, to promote the benefits of immunizations and to focus on the importance of immunizing infants against vaccine-preventable diseases by age two.
Vaccination Week also provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the positive impact of immunization on the lives of infants and children.
Vaccines have been proven to be the key factor in preventing childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria pertusis (whooping cough) tuberculosis, polio, tetanus, hepatitis B and chicken pox guaranteeing future generations are protected.
The Cayman Islands is among the leading countries that offer free vaccines to all children.
I am proud of the successes of our immunization programme in these Islands, which surpasses that of some developed countries.
The Cayman Islands has been Polio-free for half a century. The last case of diphtheria was in 1983. There has been no case of whooping cough since 1999 and the last case of measles was reported 17 years ago.
While these are encouraging statistics we cannot afford to be complacent and every effort must be made to preserve the health status of our Islands.
We must continue to maintain a high rate of immunization coverage in order to prevent our nation from experiencing the re-emergence of vaccine- preventable diseases such as whooping cough, measles and mumps that are currently re-emerging in other countries.
I urge all parents to be responsible and play an active role in protecting the health of their family.
Immunization cards should be checked regularly to ensure that family members are up to date with their vaccines. Parents can consult their family doctor, the Public Health Department or any District Health Centre for assistance.
As Minister of Health and Human Services I am committed to ensuring that every child has access to age appropriate vaccines and that an effective public education campaign is maintained to inform parents and guardians that immunization is essential.
It is important to note that new vaccines are becoming available in some countries for rotavirus, pneumococcus, and human papillomavirus virus.
I have requested that the Public Health Department explore the feasibility of introducing these vaccines in our immunization schedule in the coming year.
Our Public Health Department ensures that all vaccines in the Cayman Islands are safe and administered in keeping with guidelines from the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization.
Remember, vaccination is an act of love. Please ensure that your family is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Hon. Anthony Eden is Minister of Health and Human Services
