CiTAG Alerts Caribbean Health Ministries On Decline In Childhood Vaccination

The Caribbean Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (CITAG) wishes to alert Caribbean Ministers of Health and Chief Medical Officers that routine childhood vaccination coverage in Caribbean countries has fallen significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In some countries as many as three out of 10 infants are not fully vaccinated putting them at risk of measles, polio and other diseases eliminated in the Americas that continue to circulate in other areas of the world.

It is essential that countries conduct routine vaccination campaigns targeted at children under five years of age to ensure that they are fully vaccinated. Countries are urged to involve their paediatricians and private doctors in this campaign and were necessary to employ retired nurses and other health providers to support the health team.

At the same time, it is important to maintain vaccine-preventable disease vigilance given the increased risk of visitors to the Caribbean re-introducing polio, measles, rubella or other childhood communicable diseases to our countries. We need to improve our surveillance of acute flaccid paralysis and rash and fever surveillance.

The CITAG wishes to commend countries for their tremendous work and dedicated response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the face of many challenges. Our health staff and frontline workers have worked extremely hard with great commitment and sacrifice. Despite these heroic efforts most of the Caribbean countries have not yet achieved the WHO goal of vaccinating 70% of our adult population with the COVID-19 vaccine. Over 50% of our most vulnerable population, persons over the age of 50 years and adults with comorbidities remain unvaccinated.

The priority for COVID-19 vaccination is to achieve high vaccine coverage among the elderly and persons with comorbidities. We can do this if we improve access by simplifying the vaccination process and increasing opportunities for vaccination including involving more doctors in the private sector. Respectful face to face education by trusted persons, such as nurses, doctors and informed grassroots leaders and pastors, is needed to address misinformation and misconceptions and convince many persons to accept vaccination.