Dr Bheri Ramsaran
In 2013, Guyana recorded a 96 per cent vaccination rate in children under five, according to initial data.
Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran disclosed in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International that babies born in Guyana over the past 11-15 years have all received vaccines for preventable diseases.
“In recent years, we have been able to touch as much as 95 per cent to 96 per cent of our vaccinated population, that is, the babies that we need to vaccinate for vaccine preventable childhood illness,” he said.
Dr Ramsaran pointed out that the Health Ministry is looking at the sustainability of this programme, noting that vaccines are quite expensive and are administered free of cost in Guyana, unlike in other countries.
The health minister explained that owing to the change in market conditions, Guyana’s ability to pay for these vaccines is under threat.
However, the ministry is confident that “the government of Guyana will find those resources to continue this flagship programme for which Guyana has been given several international awards in recent years”.
Working assiduously
Dr Ramsaran pointed out that the small percentage of children under the age of five who did not receive their immunisation shots are those in the most remote areas within the hinterland regions. He noted that the ministry is working assiduously to reach those communities.
The latest vaccine to be added to the government’s vaccination programme is the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which seeks to help prevent cervical cancer and is administered to young girls between the ages of nine and 11.
The immunisation programme has seen a drastic expansion over the past decade, in the number of vaccines provided to combat preventable childhood diseases. In the 1970s, the programme started with vaccinations against six diseases: measles, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, and tuberculosis. Over the years, it has grown to encompass HPV, yellow fever, hepatitis B, mumps, haemophilus influenza, rubella, pneumococcal, meningococcal C, and rotavirus vaccinations.
Guyana has moved from focusing solely on children over the last decade to include adolescents and then the entire family. The health minister noted that the ministry’s motto is “Not any child or family left unvaccinated”.
Constant monitoring is being done for signs and symptoms of any vaccine preventable disease. Testing for these vaccine preventable diseases is being done in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO).
