The Pan American Health Organisation recently recognised Guyana's immunization programme for its outstanding vaccination coverage in children and sustained surveillance in vaccine preventable diseases.

Dr. Janice Woolford, Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) of the Ministry of Health received the Henry C award from PAHO during an award ceremony in Suriname.

The EPI programme has seen a 90 percent vaccination rate of children under one year and just over two years ago a Rotavirus Surveillance was initiated at the Georgetown Public Hospital to evaluate the impact of the disease among children under five years.

Maternal and child health personnel across the country were also lauded for their efforts to vaccinate children and adults, a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.

Since 1995 the EPI programme has been in existence and notable advances have been made in the public health system with regard to yellow fever, polio and measles. Within the last five years there has been no reported case of neonatal tetanus, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough or measles, GINA said.