Expanded Program on Immunization in the Americas: 40 years

Editorial
Author: Etienne, Carissa F.
Source: Pan American Journal of Public Health, 2017
Spanish version published online: March, 2018

Childhood immunization programs have had a dramatic impact on child morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Latin America and the Caribbean, nearly 174 000 deaths were prevented through vaccination of children under 5 years of age in 2006 – 2011 in Latin America and the Caribbean according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) estimates. In 1974, the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI); and in 1977, PAHO, the WHO Regional Office for the Americas, launched its own EPI. In 1978, a Resolution was approved by the Pan American Sanitary Conference, establishing the working capital for the PAHO Revolving Fund operations. The PAHO Revolving Fund—a mechanism facilitating pooled vaccine procurement—was created based on principles of Pan-American solidarity, equitable access to high quality vaccines, and transparency. Under the stellar leadership of Dr. Ciro A. de Quadros, the PAHO EPI became the flagship of the Organization […] Immunization programs promote the health and wealth of nations. Vaccination contributes to improved population health, which may potentially translate into lasting, positive impacts on the economy. Ozawa and colleagues, based on the costs of illnesses averted, estimated that immunizations will yield a net return about 16 times greater than the costs of illness (economic burden of avertable deaths, cases, and disabilities) over the decade (uncertainty range: 10 – 25). Bloom and colleagues (10) reported that the impact of vaccination is not solely limited to averting medical costs and illness, but also to improved cognitive development, educational attainment, labor productivity, and income, savings, and investment.

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Read also:

:: The past, present, and future of immunization in the Americas = El pasado, el presente y el futuro de la inmunización en las Américas

:: Progress towards a comprehensive approach to maternal and neonatal immunization in the Americas = Progreso hacia un método integral de inmunización materna y neonatal en la Región de las Américas

:: The path towards polio eradication over 40 years of the Expanded Program on Immunization in the Americas = El camino hacia la erradicación de la poliomielitis en los 40 años del Programa Ampliado de Inmunización en la Región de las Américas

:: The evolution of Vaccination Week in the Americas = La evolución de la Semana de Vacunación en las Américas

The author/source alone is responsible for the views expressed in this article/publication or information resource, and they do not necessarily represent the positions, decisions or policies of the Pan American Health Organization. = El autor/fuente es el único responsable por las opiniones expresadas en este artículo/publicación o recurso de información y no necesariamente representan las posiciones, decisiones o políticas de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud.