Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
"I think it is very important as a region that we continue in our efforts to learn best practices from each other, and this setting was a great way to do that," Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.
Over 60 health officials from across the Caribbean region came together to analyse and share experiences about the EPI coverage for 2013 and 2014 to date; achievements/issues/challenges in implementing the EPI plan of action for 2014; universal vaccination coverage with respect to achieving 95 per cent coverage in all communities in the Americas and the Caribbean; progress made in the elimination of measles, rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS).
Sint Maarten's immunization coverage between 0 and 17-year olds is 92 per cent.
EPI was started 40-years ago – May 1974 at the 27th World Health Assembly - as an ambitious effort to tackle six vaccine-preventable diseases, and has become one of the world's most successful World Health Organization public health programmes ensuring that all children, in all countries, benefit from life-saving vaccines.
The health representatives also discussed three country reports from Suriname, French Departments and Antigua & Barbuda, the latter two about fever/rash surveillance and impact of chikungunya.
On day two of the meeting, the discussions focused on sustaining polio eradication; influenza surveillance; data quality, cold chain and program management; along with three country plans for implementation of routine Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) vaccination from Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago.
On the third and final day of the meeting, the main discussion point was about new vaccines related to dengue, pneumococcal, meningococcal and rotavirus. An update was also given on the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine with respect to effectiveness and safety.
Country reports were presented by Aruba, Bahamas, Sint Maarten, Anguilla and Dominica.
EPI Managers' were welcomed at a cocktail party where Minister Hon. Cornelius de Weever responsible for Ministry VSA welcomed the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) staff and attendees who were treated to a night of culture featuring Rumba dancers, stilt walkers, living statutes and the ponum dance.
The 64 EPI Managers' and other health representatives that Sint Maarten hosted were from: Bahamas, Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Bonaire, St. Eustatius), Barbados, St. Kitts & Nevis, Montserrat, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Grenada, Dominica, Belize, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Turks & Caicos, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Curacao, Bermuda, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, The Netherlands, University of the West Indies, and the PAHO. The representatives also included those from Sint Maarten.
The EPI Managers' meeting was held at Divi Little Bay Beach Resort from November 19th to 21st.
