2003 Embassy Events
October 6, USG PROVIDES HEPATITIS A VACCINATION TO GEORGIAN CHILDREN
On October 6, Major General David Poythress from the State of Georgia, General Dumbadze from Georgia's Ministry of Defense, Representatives of the State Partnership Program and U. S. Office of Defense Cooperation visited the southern Georgian town of Akhaltsikhe to witness successful launch of a mass Hepatitis vaccination of 3,000 local children. The United States European Command based in Stuttgart, Germany provided the funding for procuring the Hepatitis A vaccines through a $100,000 humanitarian assistance grant to the U. S. Office of Defense Cooperation. The USODC manages the Joint Contact Team Program which also includes the State Partnership Program (SPP) that aligns the State of Georgia, USA with the Country of Georgia. PAS Tbilisi prearranged media campaign in support of the project. Akhaltsikhe TV Channels ran PAS-funded public service video announcements describing importance of vaccination and highlighting USG assistance to the people of Georgia. The population in this multiethnic region was also informed about the Hepatitis A immunization though the 4,000 PAS-funded brochures (in Georgian and Russian) distributed in advance of the event.