State of immunization in the Americas

Countries in the Americas have led the world in conquering infectious disea ses preventable through vaccination. In 1971, the Western hemisphere achiev ed smallpox eradication. In 1991, the Americas were free of indigenous tran smission of wild poliovirus. in 1998, overall regional vaccination coverage was 86% for diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus, 89% for oral poliovirus vaccine 3, 98% for bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, and 85% for measles. These figu res confirm that most of the children in the Americas are protected against these diseases. The breakthroughs obtained in immunization have stimulated countries to promote new initiatives aimed at the control and eradication of other vaccine-preventable diseases and to introduce new vaccines into ro utine schedules. In the 21st century, vaccines will remain the most cost-ef fective means of preventing diseases and avoiding expensive treatment costs .