Ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning and thank you for joining me for the start of World Immunization Week.
This year, we focus on sustaining Member States' remarkable achievements in controlling vaccine-preventable diseases by renewing our commitment to immunization.
To protect our community from these diseases, vaccination is everyone's job.
As a Region, we have good reason to be proud of our achievements.
In addition to maintaining its polio-free status since 2000, the Western Pacific has led the way in battling hepatitis B.
Now we are close to eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus, with only two countries yet to be verified.
At the same time, our Region continues to push towards measles elimination. Three more countries have just been verified as having eliminated endemic measles — a disease which still kills 400 people a day worldwide.
While I congratulate everyone on progress, I would like to remind you all of the great challenges that remain.
We must focus on bringing the benefits of vaccination to all people, especially the Region's hardest to reach and most vulnerable groups.
As we speak, countries and areas in the Western Pacific are ramping up strategies to better access and serve those groups.
Closing the immunization equity gap is a key component in strengthening our efforts towards Universal Health Coverage.
Immunization continues to be one of the most cost-effective health interventions in history.
The Western Pacific Region has celebrated World Immunization Week every year since 2011. A year later, all six WHO regions started celebrating the event on the same week.
During this week, Member States will work to strengthen immunization programmes and reduce immunity gaps among their populations.
Activities include national and local launch ceremonies, as well as educational programmes for health workers, parents and child caregivers. Awareness-raising campaigns will be promoted through mass media, vaccination sessions and immunization workshops.
Closer to home, we all have a responsibility to make sure immunizations are up-to-date for us and all of our family and loved ones.
In the end, it is everyone's job to keep communities safe from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Thank you