HAITI-HEALTH-Canada announces new initiative to reverse declining immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases in Haiti.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Wednesday welcomed the announcement by Canada of a joint initiative to support Haiti to expand vaccination against potentially lethal vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, measles, diphtheria and tetanus

The partnership, which is part of Canada's Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE), will inject over six million Canadian dollars (One Canadian dollar=US$0.73 cents) into the Haitian health system to bolster vaccination outreach and operations throughout the country.

(PAHO Photo)

The contribution was announced by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the first Canada-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) summit that began here on Wednesday.

'Our national immunization programmes have suffered serious setbacks over the last decade,' PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa said.

'We have witnessed decreases in vaccination coverage rates, inadequate sustainable financing for immunizations, and increasing vaccine hesitancy linked in part to misinformation.'

He said that with the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbating this decline, the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks is now 'at a 30-year high'.

PAHO said that the risk of disease outbreaks in Haiti is compounded by a precarious security situation which has recently pushed thousands into improvised shelters and is impeding the proper functioning of health facilities, with several hospitals and clinics struggling to provide essential health services.

Through CanGIVE, PAHO...