Guyana Introduces Seasonal Influenza Vaccination for Priority Groups

On 19 September 2025, Guyana announced the introduction of seasonal influenza vaccination for priority groups, including healthcare workers, older adults, pregnant women, children, and individuals with chronic conditions. Guyana is the 42nd country of the 44 reporting countries in the Region to introduce seasonal influenza vaccination. With Guyana’s introduction, 95% of the countries are conducting influenza vaccination for priority groups. This milestone is a result of sustained technical collaboration between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization (WHO) with the support from the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework and the Task Force for Global Health. The rollout of seasonal influenza vaccines follows a series of coordinated activities, including the development of a national influenza vaccination policy, capacity-building workshops for healthcare workers and Expanded Programme on Immunization staff, and procurement of influenza vaccines through the PAHO’s Revolving Fund for Access to Vaccines. These efforts align with Strategic Objective 3 of the Global Influenza Strategy (2019–2030), which aims to build national influenza disease prevention and control programmes. Guyana’s progress in surveillance has also been notable. The National Public Health Laboratory was recently designated as a WHO National Influenza Centre (NIC), a recognition that reflects its enhanced diagnostic capacity and commitment to virus sharing under the PIP Framework. The laboratory now actively contributes data to the globalFluNet platform, strengthening regional and global situational awareness of influenza virus circulation. Data generated from Guyana’s influenza surveillance system enabled the country to model the potential impact of influenza vaccination in reducing hospitalizations, and deaths as well as worker absenteeism due to influenza. In addition, the information from the surveillance system was used to evaluate the timing of influenza epidemics, enabling Guyana to determine which vaccines were most appropriate (northern hemisphere vaccines) and when to start their vaccination campaign (September) to achieve the maximum impact from the vaccination programme. The introduction of influenza vaccination and NIC designation are examples of Guyana’s commitment to strengthening the national health system and implementing WHO initiatives, including the Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats (PRET) framework and the International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR). By introducing seasonal influenza vaccination, Guyana is taking a decisive step to protect its most vulnerable populations and reduce the strain on health services during influenza season. This proactive approach underscores the country’s commitment to safeguarding health through prevention and their strategic investment in national epidemic and pandemic preparedness. Photo credit: News RoomPhoto caption: Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony receives influenza vaccine