On Thursday, Governor Maximiliano Pullaro led the presentation in Rosario of Vax Team, the new Provincial Vaccination Programme, an inter-ministerial strategy aimed at restoring coverage among school-age children and promoting care habits throughout the province. The plan will combine territorial work, coordination with schools and health centres, and an innovative tool: a sticker album that will allow for the monitoring of vaccination cards and the completion of mandatory vaccination schedules, especially at school entry and at age 11.
Comprehensive vaccination strategy
During the event, held in the Walsh Room at the Government headquarters, Pullaro stressed that "no ministry can implement a high-impact, long-term public policy on its own" and that health actions require effective coordination between areas. In this vein, he explained that the first step was to "assess where we were and how far we had fallen behind in terms of vaccination," and then to design "a strategy that, through communication and joint efforts, allow us to promote an innovative and unique plan in Argentina".
"We believe that through a sticker album, we can ensure that every child and adolescent in the province has a complete vaccination schedule," he said.
The event was attended by the Minister of Health, Silvia Ciancio; the Minister of Education, José Goity; the Minister of Culture, Susana Rueda; the Secretary of Health, Andrea Uboldi; the Secretary of Communication, Luis Persello; the Secretary of Cooperation, Cristian Cunha; provincial legislators; representatives of PAHO/WHO; professional associations and scientific societies.
Relying on vaccines to care for the community
Minister Ciancio pointed out that the current data reflects a real problem: "The numbers are overwhelming, and we are taking action. Santa Fe is making a difference with a programme that seeks to return to historical coverage rates and reminds us that completing the schedule is one of the most important measures for protecting health."
He invited people to "complete schemes, breaking schemes" and highlighted that Vax Team "recovers the playful aspect" to motivate families. "It is a strategy designed by Health and Education to work with the community and rebuild confidence in vaccines," he said.
Goity stressed that "health is a social, public, and collective good" and that schools must once again become orderly spaces, accompanied by effective state policies.
Uboldi defined Vax Team as "an ambitious project to restore the centrality of caring for children and adolescents" and recalled that "vaccines save lives."
PAHO/WHO representative Eva Jané Llopis described the programme as "a pioneering strategy that breaks the mould to change trends" and praised the integrated approach: "It is the only way to increase coverage and change the paradigm."
Vax Team: creativity and public health
The programme combines scientific evidence, community participation and an approach that appeals to children. The central concept is that vaccination creates a protective bubble that prevents viruses and bacteria from causing disease. The creative idea is embodied in a sticker album that will be distributed in all public and private schools. Each sticker represents a vaccine on the schedule and can only be obtained by visiting a health centre or hospital to check the vaccination card and complete the corresponding doses.
Boys and girls who turn 11 will receive a Power Card, associated with the renewal of defences and boosters in the schedule.
In addition, the proposal includes an animated miniseries starring villains—germs that try to attack the province—and children who become superheroes when they activate their powers through vaccines.
The episodes of the miniseries, the vaccine guide by age with its corresponding sticker, and an updated map of all vaccination centres in the province will be available on the programme's official website: https://santafe.gob.ar/vacunate/.
Following the presentation, training for vaccination teams began, led by the Expanded Programme on Immunisation, with the aim of implementing the strategy throughout the territory.
In the coming weeks, the album will continue to be distributed in schools, vaccinations with stickers will continue in health centres, and once the school year begins, school operations will move forward through the Santa Fe Acá Escuelas programme.
