Caracas, April 27 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Venezuela began a campaign on Sunday to vaccinate 3.8 million residents by May 31st. The project, carried out by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), will provide 800,000 doses more than the previous year.

Medical workers will carry out house to house visits in the poorest communities and indigenous areas with difficult access to ensure that children and families in those zones are protected against 14 illnesses as part of an immunization scheme.

The emphasis in the project is on children between one and nine years of age, as well as the elderly, and will include vaccines against tuberculosis, hepatitis B, and meningitis. As well as the house calls, the organization has set up 5,957 immunization points, where children, young people and the elderly can be vaccinated free of charge, and where information will also be provided about staying healthy.

An estimated one in five children around the world are not vaccinated. In 2013, 21.8 million babies did not receive life-saving vaccinations, according to the World Health Organization.