Thirty Years of the Immunization Newsletter: History of EPI in the Americas

This compendium of articles published in the Immunization Newsletter, since its creation in 1979, comes to serve as a unique anthology of the EPI in the Americas. It bears witness to milestones in the history of immunization in a continent that is diverse, but that has united in the spirit of equity and solidarity-or Panamericanism- to reach common goals on vaccine-preventable disease control and elimination. Thirty Years of Immunization Newsletter: the History of the Expanded Program on Immunization in the Americas tells a story of multiple successes and challenges. A story of how strategies have been developed, implemented, adapted, and expanded. A story of a program that started from managing a few vaccine doses to one that manages vaccine doses that amount to several millions of dollars. The compendium presents experiences and lessons learned by each country. It talks about the creation and evolution of regional and national immunization advisory groups to guide the EPI on vaccination schedules and strategies, and it describes legislation and other creative mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure program sustainability.This compendium of articles published in the Immunization Newsletter, since its creation in 1979, comes to serve as a unique anthology of the EPI in the Americas. It bears witness to milestones in the history of immunization in a continent that is diverse, but that has united in the spirit of equity and solidarity-or Panamericanism- to reach common goals on vaccine-preventable disease control and elimination. Thirty Years of Immunization Newsletter: the History of the Expanded Program on Immunization in the Americas tells a story of multiple successes and challenges. A story of how strategies have been developed, implemented, adapted, and expanded. A story of a program that started from managing a few vaccine doses to one that manages vaccine doses that amount to several millions of dollars. The compendium presents experiences and lessons learned by each country. It talks about the creation and evolution of regional and national immunization advisory groups to guide the EPI on vaccination schedules and strategies, and it describes legislation and other creative mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure program sustainability.