Vaccination in Markets and Plazas as Outreach Strategies
Vaccination campaigns are finding new spaces to reach those who have long been excluded from immunization programs. An overview of the initiatives now reshaping public health realities.
Across Latin America, markets and plazas are far more than sites of commercial exchange—they are social spaces where communities gather, share information, and organize.
In recent years, these spaces have taken on a new role as key access points to healthcare. Specifically, community vaccination initiatives have found in these marketplaces an effective way to reach populations historically excluded from the formal healthcare system.
As gaps in healthcare access persist in rural regions and low-income urban neighborhoods, a variety of actors—civil organizations, private foundations, local cooperatives, and universities—are carrying out immunization programs that depart from traditional models.
Rather than taking place in hospitals or health centers, these campaigns unfold among street stalls, local fairs, and markets, guided by a simple principle: if people cannot reach healthcare, healthcare must reach them.
When the Market Becomes a Health Center
Vaccination campaigns in public spaces serve not only a medical function but also a social one. In neighborhoods where state institutions are absent or mistrusted, these programs help rebuild the bond between community and healthcare.
In Buenos Aires, for instance, the organization Red Comunitaria Sur launched its “Get Vaccinated at the Fair” campaign in low-income areas of the metropolitan region with low childhood vaccination rates. Each operation includes recreational activities, workshops on nutrition and sexual health, and basic medical care booths.
Working alongside local actors—from recycling cooperatives to neighborhood soup kitchens—allows organizers to identify community needs and strengthen collective action.
In many cases, these health fairs become the first point of contact with the healthcare system for people who had previously gone without medical attention.
In several countries, advances in community vaccination are not driven by ministries of health but by partnerships among social actors. In Peru, for example, the initiative “Healthy Markets,” led by the Network of Women Entrepreneurs of Ayacucho with support from the private sector, achieved a 92% vaccination rate against hepatitis B among merchants and their families.
The strategy was both simple and effective: it leveraged the existing structure of market associations, which already had internal communication systems and networks of trust. Leaders of each stall were trained to become “health agents,” responsible for promoting vaccination among their peers.
Another example comes from Guatemala, where the organization Salud sin Fronteras (Health Without Borders) implemented the “Vaccines on the Go” program, which sets up mobile immunization units in local markets.
Within a year, more than 30,000 people were vaccinated against influenza and tetanus, focusing primarily on women vendors and informal workers.
The model combines public health logistics with local knowledge: vaccination booths are staffed by local nurses and community health promoters who speak the region’s languages and personally know the families they serve.
These campaigns also include cultural activities, educational talks, and collaboration with community leaders—showing that the social dimension is essential to combat misinformation and build trust.
Reinventing Public Health from the Ground Up
Experiences with vaccination in markets and plazas demonstrate that public health can be reinvented from the ground up through simple, sustainable, and deeply human solutions to pressing needs.
This model of healthcare access stands in contrast to centralized medical systems, proving that proximity and trust are just as vital as technical resources.
They also underscore the importance of private funding and community cooperation. In a context of limited public budgets, many of these initiatives are made possible thanks to donations, corporate foundations, and citizen groups that choose to invest in community health.
The impact is twofold: on one hand, vaccination coverage improves among vulnerable populations; on the other, social ties are strengthened, participation is encouraged, and communities regain a sense of agency over their access to healthcare.
The success of these programs has drawn significant interest from other countries in the region, with organizations and universities analyzing their outcomes to support replication. According to experts, the key lies in respecting each community’s identity and context.
Vaccinating in a plaza or a market is not merely a medical act—it is a gesture of trust, a way to affirm the dignity of those who have historically been left behind.