NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION AWARENESS WEEK: POSTER & COLORING CONTEST

The MCA Department of Health’s Community Health Services (CHS) Sector is hosting a poster and coloring contest to commemorate National Immunization Awareness Week.  

National Immunization Awareness Week (NIAW) is held annually during the last week of April and highlights the critical importance of vaccine across the lifespan. It also promotes staying up to date with vaccinations to prevent diseases, combat misinformation, and protect public health.  

The time is now — to stand up for vaccines.  

For many years — and increasingly so today — science, including vaccination, has been under attack. Recent, highly publicized proposed changes to routine childhood vaccination schedules beyond our borders have not only created uncertainty, but also have opened the door for preventable diseases to re-emerge.  

Disinformation, misinformation, mistrust in science and growing polarization are undermining public confidence in vaccines here in Canada. Hesitancy is increasing in some communities, and in certain regions, immunization rates are no longer high enough to prevent outbreaks. In 2025, Canada even lost its measles-elimination status. This is a stark reminder that we cannot take for granted decades of hard-earned progress in vaccine confidence and coverage, as it has the possibility of being reversed overnight.  

Not so long ago, there was no way to protect yourself from diseases such as diphtheria, polio, meningitis, or measles. But vaccines changed that landscape. Rigorous testing and continuous safety monitoring provide overwhelming evidence not only that vaccines are safe and effective, but also that they are crucial tools for preventing serious illness and even death. Many diseases are now easily preventable by vaccination – and the result is that our health outcomes have greatly improved.  

Immunize Canada invites everyone to stand up for vaccines this National Immunization Awareness Week! 

MCA Community Health Services will be hosting two contests to recognize NIAW: a coloring contest and a poster contest. Both contests are open to all students from grades Headstart up to Grade 8. Submissions for both contests are due by Friday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m. One prize is granted per grade. 

For more information, please call April Terrance, Immunization Coordinator, at 613-575-2341 ext. 3220 or by emailing april.terrance@akwesasne.ca.