Immunization
Newsline
Liberia's largest immunization campaign ever targets Yellow Fever
MONTSERRADO COUNTY, Liberia, 21 December 2009 – The largest immunization campaign ever conducted in Liberia took place last month, targeting over three million people, or 90 per cent of the population. The immunization was against Yellow Fever, a potentially lethal infection transmitted by mosquitoes.
Afghanistan is the first country worldwide to use bivalent oral polio vaccine
KABUL, Afghanistan, 17 December 2009 – Sheila Noor, 18, is one of 21,000 health agents who were deployed by the Afghan Ministry of Public Health for a three-day immunization campaign using the bivalent polio vaccine this month.
United States and Organization of the Islamic Conference join forces against polio
NEW YORK, USA, 3 December 2009 – The United States and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) resolved to work together to eradicate polio from the last remaining endemic countries. The launch of the joint initiative – a response to U.S. President Barack Obama’s call for such an effort in Cairo last June – was held yesterday at UNICEF Headquarters in New York.
Rwanda launches nationwide health and vaccination campaign
BISATE VILLAGE, Rwanda, 3 November 2009 – Bisate village is nestled in the lush valley at the foot of Mount Sabinyo – an extinct volcano that marks the intersection of the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Rwanda. Gathered in a large playing field, hundreds of women dressed in colourful ‘kikoys’ of wrapped cloth are clutching rainbow-coloured umbrellas.
Vaccination campaign aimed at tsunami-affected children in Samoa
APIA, Samoa, 2 November 2009 – UNICEF and the World Health Organization are giving full support to a nationwide measles and vitamin A immunization campaign by the Samoan Government. The campaign aims to protect more than 32,000 children in the wake of the recent tsunami here.
Polio vaccination effort reaches children in Pakistan
GADAP TOWN, Pakistan, 29 October 2009 – As part of a national immunization campaign, Ruksana Bilqis has been working for the past two months as a polio community mobilizer in Gadap Town, a community of conservative Pashtu speakers from North-West Frontier Province and the tribal areas near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.
State of the World’s Vaccines: Childhood immunization at record high
NEW YORK, USA, 21 October 2009 – More babies are being immunized against deadly diseases than ever before, yet without better funding and improved access, at least 24 million infants are left unprotected.
Angélique Kidjo launches new campaign with Pampers to help eliminate tetanus
PARIS, France, 28 September 2009 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and Grammy-winning world music artist Angélique Kidjo has launched ‘Give the Gift of Life’, a new campaign with Pampers to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) by 2012.
Eradicating polio in Afghanistan takes persuasion, participation and peace
GHOR, Afghanistan, 17 September 2009 – A three-day polio eradication campaign, organized by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, reached children across Afghanistan this month. The immunization drive was part of the ongoing effort to eradicate polio in Afghanistan, which is one of just four remaining polio-endemic countries.
International Child Neurology Congress affirms vaccination safety in Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine, 16 September 2009 – UNICEF was among this year’s sponsors of the International Child Neurology Congress, held in Ukraine for the first time last week.
One more young life saved from polio in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan, 28 July 2009—“It doesn’t hurt at all,” says Mahamad, 5, smiling broadly. The boy lives in Kabul and is used to vaccinators visiting his house. This particular visit is happening on the first day of a three-day, nationwide polio vaccination campaign – the fourth of six such immunization rounds planned for this year.
Immunization campaign works to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in Mauritania
OUALATA, Mauritania, 24 June 2009 – When the school’s headmaster announced the arrival of the tetanus vaccination team, Lalla Vatma, 14, and several of her schoolmates, were excused from class.
Outreach vaccination in Zimbabwe during Child Health Days.
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 18 June 2009 – UNICEF recently supported a successful round of outreach vaccinations during 'Child Health Days'. The intensive five-day campaign reached even the most remote communities in Zimbabwe.
Teaming up to fight polio with Niger and Nigeria's synchronized immunization
MARADI, Niger, 5 June 2009 – Aboubacar Sidikou used to be an active two-year-old, running after goats in the courtyard or playing hide-and-seek all day long with his brothers. Now, the once enthusiastic boy has now become very shy. He rests in the arms of his grandmother and suddenly does not pay attention to anyone anymore.
A shot to live: Meningitis immunization in Chad
N’DJAMENA, Chad, 8 May 2009 – Ahmad’s father smiles sadly while he tries to make his little boy stand still so that the nurse can give him a dose of trivalent meningitis vaccine.
Health workers aim to vaccinate 30 million in the Americas
MARISCAL ESTIGARRIBIA, Paraguay, 5 May 2009 – A massive effort is under way to vaccinate 30 million people in 44 countries and territories in the Western Hemisphere.
Improving care for mothers and newborns in Uzbekistan
FERGHANA, Uzbekistan, 4 May 2009 – Maftuna Yakubova beams with pride over her newborn baby boy in the maternity ward of the Perinatal Centre in Ferghana, eastern Uzbekistan.
Togo youth media activists unite to help eradicate polio
SEGBE, Togo, 7 April 2009 – While Aristos, 16, prepared the camera focus, Marie, 14, plugged in the microphone, Gisèle, 13, checked the sound level and Elvis, 11, put the finishing touches on his introduction to the story of Togo’s recent national polio immunization campaign.
Window closing on chance to push polio ‘The Final Inch’ towards eradication
NEW YORK, 3 April 2009 – More than 50 years after the discovery of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, the window is closing on the chance to eradicate the disease for good.
Somali Child Health Days go nationwide for the first time
WAJID, Southern Somalia, 1 April 2009 – For the first time ever in Somalia, a Child Health Days campaign has been implemented nation-wide by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, local authorities, communities and non-governmental partners.
UNICEF and GAVI provide immunization to Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 31 March 2009 – On the dusty streets of a Freetown suburb, a crowd slowly shuffles along to find work. There is silence. Everyone here struggles to keep going. Poverty is the norm.
Historic pneumococcal vaccine shipment arrives in Rwanda
KIGALI, Rwanda, 27 March 2009 – Last week, a historic shipment of vaccines arrived at the Kigali Airport in Rwanda. Donated by Wyeth Corporation, these vaccines help protect infants and young children from pneumococcal disease – the leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide.
Togo completes first immunization round in regional push against polio
VOGAN, Togo, 9 March 2009 – Beneath a blazing sun, mothers Akuba and Afi are pounding manioc in the yard of their compound when two health workers from the Expanded Programme of Immunization arrive.
Reaching the remote villages of Niger with polio vaccine
GARBEY KOUROU, Niger, 6 March 2009 – On the eve of an eight-country polio vaccination campaign held over the past week in West Africa, Ali Boureima, the immunization coordinator for Tillabery health district in Niger, distributed the last batch of oral polio vaccines for nine villages situated on islands in the Niger River.
Benin completes first round of National Immunization Days against polio
COTONOU, Benin, 5 March 2009 – About 2.7 million children under the age of five are to be vaccinated in Benin during two rounds of National Immunization Days (NIDs) this year. Benin, like several neighbouring countries, is witnessing a resurgence of wild poliovirus.
UNICEF and partners mobilize to eradicate polio in Côte d’Ivoire
ADIAKE, Cote d’Ivoire, 3 March 2009 – UNICEF, the World Health Organization and Rotary International called for renewed mobilization to eradicate polio in Côte d’Ivoire last week, as they launched the first round of a new immunization campaign in Adiaké.
Communities in West Africa prepare for extensive polio vaccination campaign
ZINDER REGION, Niger, 27 February 2009 – In Niger, traditional and religious leaders are at the forefront of communication efforts in the run-up to a synchronized polio vaccination campaign that begins today in West Africa.
Campaign fights infectious diseases in the wake of Gaza's long crisis
EAST JERUSALEM, 25 February 2009 – A fragile peace is holding in Gaza since hostilities ended last month. But damage to vital infrastructure is widespread, and primary health care services have been reduced by 90 per cent.
At General Assembly event, a call for equity and action on development goals
NEW YORK, USA, 23 September 2008 – On the opening day of the United Nations General Assembly session yesterday, UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said there is a long way to go to reach the Millennium Development Goals by their 2015 target date. And the challenges are greatest in countries dealing with conflict and post-conflict situations, as well as those most affected by HIV/AIDS.
Angola launches third national de-worming campaign in schools
LUANDA, Angola, 24 September 2008 – Over the next month, primary school children in all of Angola’s 18 provinces will receive deworming tablets as part of a national deworming campaign, now in its third year. The campaign aims to ensure that the country’s children have better health for better learning.
For Peace Day, Afghan children get a chance to be immunized
NANGAHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, 22 September 2008 – Afghan and international forces, including the Taliban, have been asked to lay down their weapons in support of the biggest Peace Day that Afghanistan has ever experienced.
As child deaths continue to decline, UNICEF calls for increased efforts
NEW YORK, USA, 12 September 2008 – Fewer children under the age of five are dying today than in past years, according to the latest data from UNICEF. Globally, the number of young children who died in 2007 dropped to 9.2 million, compared to 12.7 million deaths in 1990.
GAVI works to reduce the number of preventable child deaths in Tanzania
MOROGORO, Tanzania 17 April 2008 – Like all hospitals and health facilities in Tanzania, Morogoro Regional Hospital offers free routine immunization to all children under the age of five.
Immunization campaigns reach out to Syria’s vulnerable children
QARAHTA, Syria, 18 March 2008 – Barely 10 months old, Sundus has her mother Aida’s eyes: dark brown, with a hint of turquoise at their centres. Sitting on her mother’s lap, Sundus looks peaceful amidst the bustle of an immunization point in Qarahta, 20 km from the capital, Damascus.
An aggressive push to eradicate measles in Mauritania
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania, 5 February 2008 – Last month, 18-month-old Mariem received an inoculation that will provide her with lifetime immunity against a disease which has already killed many children in Mauritania – measles.
A polio survivor dedicates her life to helping children get vaccinated
HARGEISA, Somalia, 25 January 2007 – When she was seven-years-old, Nora woke up feeling as if she had a cold. By the following morning, she was plagued with crippling pain and unable to walk. Now, as an adult, Nora must live with the devastating effects of contracting polio.
National measles campaign targets 2.9 million children in Niger
NIAMEY, Niger, 7 January 2008 – Ansoumane, 16 months old, shut his eyes tightly and clenched his little fists as he received a jab in the arm to rousing applause, under the gaze of Niger’s President Mamadou Tandja.
Child-survival campaign reaches families displaced by conflict in Mogadishu
AFGOYE, Somalia, 18 December 2007 – Hawa Ali, a mother of two, fled fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu last month and found refuge in the makeshift Eelasha Biyasha settlement here. This camp and others like it, along a 30-km stretch between Mogadishu and Afgoye, are now home to some 200,000 children, women and men displaced by conflict.
Cricketers help immunize children against polio in New Delhi
NEW DELHI, India, 10 December 2007 – Children in India are being immunized as part of an ongoing regional polio eradication campaign called Bowl Out Polio. Recently in New Dehli, children received a welcome surprise as top players from India and Pakistan’s cricket teams joined with health workers to bring attention to the campaign.
Zimbabwe’s Child Health Days help to reduce measles and boost child survival
MUPANDAWANA, Zimbabwe, 29 November 2007 – One can still see the legacy of polio in the limping walks of a handful of villagers in Mupandawana, a small community with a population of just 300.
Myanmar mobilizes to protect 7 million children against polio
SHAN STATE, Myanmar, 23 November 2007 – Midwife Daw Kyin Nu is braving the cold rain in the hilly regions of Shan State, Myanmar, as she goes house to house to vaccinate children under the age of five against polio.
Nationwide push in Lao PDR to eliminate measles
HOUAY NAMIEN, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, 16 November 2007 – Mid-morning on a Tuesday isn’t normally a time that you expect to see much activity in a Buddhist temple. But a recent Tuesday was different, and the brightly coloured temple in Houay Namien was thronged with mothers and young children.
Despite political tensions, Nepal vitamin A campaign garners wide support
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 7 November 2007 – In a unique show of support for children’s rights, Nepalese political parties that have been locked in bitter infighting put aside their differences for two days last week to support the national distribution of vitamin A capsules and de-worming tablets.
National polio drive delivers drops of hope amid insecurity in Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 28 September 2007 – As Iraq’s first National Immunization Days of 2007 get under way, over 20,000 mobile polio vaccinators are uniting in a titanic effort to reach as many as 5 million Iraqi children under the age of five.
International Day of Peace marked with polio vaccination drive in Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 20 September 2007 – Warring factions in Afghanistan have promised to honour the International Day of Peace on 21 September by supporting peace so that 1.3 million children can be vaccinated against polio.
Going the extra mile: UNICEF Indonesia immunization drive reaches remote areas
HARATAI VILLAGE, Indonesia, 24 August 2007 – It’s just after dawn and Riniyati is getting her 11-month-old baby girl Tresia ready for the day. She softly tells Tresia that today is special. Today she will go to the village longhouse to be immunized.
Meeting of Global Health Leaders: Stronger collaboration, improved outcomes
NEW YORK, USA, 31 July 2007 – Global health leaders from eight international organizations met here on 19 July to discuss ways to strengthen their collaboration, in order to achieve better health outcomes in developing countries.
In Zimbabwe, Child Health Days focus on polio immunization
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 28 June 2007 – On cue, the mothers clutch their babies and fall in with military precision. Vaccine cold boxes are lined up in the shade alongside them. Within a few minutes, a classroom has been transformed into an outreach immunization point for Zimbabwe’s biannual Child Health Days campaign.
First-ever synchronized polio campaign between Namibia, Angola and DR Congo
ONDANGWA, Namibia, 28 June 2007 – When the gates at the border crossing on the Angola-Namibia border open, it's more than trade that can go rushing through. Polio and other diseases need no passports.
Providing basic services to Gabon’s ‘people of the forest’
ESSENG, Gabon, 9 May 2007 – On a beautiful recent morning in this remote village in northern Gabon, men sat in the ‘corps de garde’ in the town square and women stood nearby with apprehensive but happy children running around them.
‘Days of Peace’ promote child survival and development in Philippines conflict areas
NEW YORK, USA, 9 May 2007 – For decades, an often violent battle between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has raged in the picturesque countryside of the southern Philippines. The conflict has devastated thousands of villages, leaving children without access to essential services.
Despite dangers, measles vaccinators fan out across Iraq
AMMAN, Jordan, 26 April 2007 – In one of the biggest humanitarian operations in Iraq in the last two years, 8,000 vaccinators are working to prevent a possible outbreak of measles among children, many of whom have not received routine immunization due to violence and conflict.
Polio immunization drive reaches children in Koranic schools of northern Nigeria
ZARIA, Nigeria, 23 April 2007 – Every Saturday, Asiya, 5, helps her mother with household chores. After sweeping floors and washing clothes, she leaves home to attend Koranic school in her neighbourhood.
Trio for Life: Birth registration, immunization and breastfeeding give children head start in Venezuela
MARACAIBO, Venezuela, 4 April 2007 – It was during the nationwide campaign called Trio for Life that eight-month-old Georgina first received her birth registration.
Six million children in DPR Korea immunized against measles
SOUTH HAMYONG, DPR Korea, 29 March 2007 – A massive campaign to immunize children against measles in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been completed by the government with help from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Reinforcing links in the cold-chain to preserve vaccines in Turkmenistan
ABADAN, Turkmenistan, 16 March 2007 – The immunization programme in Turkmenistan is being overhauled, with responsibility for maintaining the ‘cold chain’ – which preserves vaccines and keeps them safe for children – shifting from the vaccinators themselves to maintenance professionals.
Children take the lead in northern Nigeria’s immunization drive
KATSINA STATE, Nigeria, 5 March 2007 – Heading to school last week in northern Katsina State, Imrana Musa, 10, had no idea what a special mission he was going to be sent on.
Fight against polio in Nigeria focuses on community involvement
ILELA, Nigeria, 26 February 2007 – Though wrinkled and bent with age, Kabo Galdi has hands that are surprisingly steady as she drops oral polio vaccine into the mouths of children. The grandmother of six was one of the roving vaccinators mobilized for Nigeria’s ‘Immunization Plus Days’ last month.
Immunization drive for flood-affected children in Jakarta, Indonesia
JAKARTA, Indonesia, 21 February 2007 – Upon hearing that a free immunization drive was under way, Linda, 27, a mother of two, did not think twice before bringing her young daughters to an emergency health centre in central Jakarta.
Palestinian child health still faces challenges, despite end of strike at clinics
HEBRON, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 6 February 2007 – Government clinics have resumed routine services following a recent three-month health workers’ strike that began after clinic staff members had not been paid their full salaries for over 10 months.
Liberia measles drive targets 650,000 children under five
SAKONNEDU, Liberia, 23 January 2007 – Across Liberia yesterday, a massive logistics operation went into high gear to protect 650,000 children under the age of five from measles.
Measles deaths decreased by more than half
NEW YORK, USA, 18 January 2007 - There has been an unprecedented decline in the number of child deaths from measles, thanks to a worldwide initiative to combat the disease, the Measles Initiative partnership announced today.
Samira’s story: Despite dangers, vaccinators fight to keep Iraq polio-free
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 15 December 2006 – Iraq’s fourth national polio campaign of 2006 is sending thousands of Iraqi vaccinators from house to house, to immunize children at their doorsteps.
Measles and malaria campaign in Sierra Leone reaches 800,000-plus
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 28 November 2006 – A national measles and malaria campaign has been successfully carried out in Sierra Leone. An estimated 800,000 children under five have benefited from life-saving interventions during this major nationwide health initiative.
Tennis ace Serena Williams supports Ghana’s biggest health campaign
NUNGUA-ZONGO, Ghana, 6 November 2006 – For families across Ghana, yesterday was the day to get their young children immunized against deadly childhood diseases, boost their immunity against illness and receive free mosquito nets to help prevent malaria. It was the conclusion of the country’s week-long national integrated child health campaign, the largest such effort in Ghana to date.
Polio immunization campaign supports recovery in post-war Lebanon
BENT JBAIL, Lebanon, 31 October 2006 – In another key step towards recovery in post-war Lebanon, the first round of an emergency polio immunization campaign began yesterday, targeting all children up to five years of age.
Measles immunization campaign targets 29 million Nigerian children
EKEREMOR, Nigeria, 18 October 2006 – Nigeria has launched a massive immunization campaign to protect 29 million children against measles, a highly contagious virus that kills more Nigerian children than any other preventable disease.
Fighting measles and raising awareness in Indonesia
KUPANG, Indonesia, 2 October 2006 – For the first time in several days, Juwita is feeling well enough to help her mother prepare lunch. The nine-year-old grins as she slices vegetables in the kitchen, happy to be rid of the rash and high fever that came with the measles virus that recently plagued her.
Immunization campaign in Afghanistan aims to reduce child and maternal deaths
NEW YORK, USA, Afghanistan, 12 September 2006 – An immunization campaign supported by UNICEF was launched recently in Afghanistan with two objectives: to reduce child measles mortality by 90 per cent and to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus.
Two successful rounds of vaccination protect Namibia from polio
WINDHOEK, CAPRIVI AND OMAHEKE REGIONS, Namibia, 7 August 2006 – With all the many thousands of pieces of Namibia’s emergency polio campaign melding together, the final picture emerging from the effort is that of a finely tuned mosaic of success.
Vitamin A health campaign targets Zimbabwean children under five
HARARE, Zimbabwe, 27 July 2006 – To rousing applause Irene Mwedziwendira steps forward with her twins at a demonstration on the benefits of taking vitamin A. At just under 160cm, she is not a tall woman, and her strides are small. But their meaning is massive. She is a member of one of Zimbabwe’s largest religious sects – the Apostolic – which bans immunization for children. Mrs. Mwedziwendira’s steps are nothing less than a leap of faith.
Immunization campaign aims to eliminate tetanus in Madagascar
MIANDRIVAZO, Madagascar, 20 July 2006 – Dr. Mamy and Sister Henriette have walked 5 km under the sun to reach a small village in Miandravazo, southeast Madagascar. Their team of health workers is here with vaccinations to protect mothers like Maximillian, 24, against tetanus.
Nationwide polio immunization drive under way after recent outbreak in Namibia
KATUTURA TOWNSHIP, Namibia, 22 June 2006 – It was 4 p.m. at Okuryangava Health Clinic in Katutura Township, a community on the outer edge of the capital city of Windhoek, and the nursing sister leading the polio immunization team had the dazed, weary and yet immensely satisfied look of someone who had just won an extremely hard race.
Tetanus jabs for 686,000 primary school children in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya, 21 June 2006 – Amina Abdi, 7, a student at Ganjoni Primary School in Mombasa, Kenya, shut her eyes tightly and clenched her little fists as she received her jab.
In Thailand, survey reveals gulf in living standards between ethnic groups
RATCHABURI, Thailand, 1 JUNE 2006 – “Has your child taken a poo today?” “Yes, behind the house, but the dogs have eaten it all.”
UNICEF responds as polio outbreak in Namibia claims more victims
NEW YORK, USA, 7 June 2006 – After a 10-year absence, Namibia has witnessed a sudden reappearance of polio, with 34 suspected cases and 7 deaths recorded so far. The recent outbreak of wild poliovirus has been confirmed in 5 of the country’s 13 regions, but most cases have occurred in and around the capital, Windhoek.
In Madagascar, a small capsule of vitamin A saves children’s lives
FENERIVE EST, Madagascar, 23 May 2006 – It may seem like a routine event, but twice a year in Madagascar, children under the age of five receive a small capsule of vitamin A.
Emergency measles campaign aims to immunize 5.5 million children in Kenya
GARISSA / NAIROBI, Kenya, 9 May 2006 – More than half a million vulnerable children under the age of five have been immunized against measles and polio in the first phase of a life-saving vaccination campaign in Kenya’s Central and North Eastern Provinces.
Putting children first: Nepal’s national vitamin A campaign proceeds despite unrest
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 19 April 2006 – Despite the escalating political turmoil that has hit Nepal in recent weeks, a national distribution of vitamin A capsules and de-worming tablets started today. About 3.3 million Nepalese children, ranging in age from six months to five years, are expected to receive vitamin A capsules as part of the two-day nationwide campaign to protect children’s health by boosting their immune systems.
Bangladesh launches mass immunization campaign after polio re-emerges
CHANDPUR, Bangladesh, 13 April 2006 – After a five-year absence, polio has re-emerged in Bangladesh, sending a fresh alert and boosting eradication efforts across the country. But the national initiative to stop the crippling waterborne disease came too late for nine-year-old Rahima Akhter in the town of Chandpur.
Immunization and health campaign protects drought-affected children in southern Ethiopia
BORENA ZONE, Ethiopia, 4 April 2006 – Chachu Guyyo, a thin and energetic 74-year-old, was making slow progress with her four grandchildren towards the health post. They had been waiting in a queue for hours, along with 40 other women and children, to receive the medicines and vaccines being dispensed.
By land and sea, vaccinators reach 40 million in Nigerian polio immunization drive
LAGOS, Nigeria, 21 March, 2006 – Nigeria is the last polio-endemic country in Africa, with the world’s highest number of reported cases in 2005. Now the National Programme on Immunization (NPI), supported by UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners, aims to immunize every child in Nigeria against polio.
After contracting polio, a boy struggles to walk again
MARADI, Niger, 10 March 2006 – Four-year-old Sanoussi was healthy and active, until one day he suddenly couldn’t move his legs anymore.
Bangladesh prepares to conduct the world’s largest-ever measles immunization campaign
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 17 February 2006 – Some 33.5 million Bangladeshi children are the target of the world’s largest-ever measles immunization campaign. The government – with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners – is preparing supplies, health workers, volunteers and the public for the start of this unprecedented three-week campaign, which begins on 25 February.
On the beaches of São Tomé , danger in the water
PRAIA LOCHINGA, Sao Tome and Príncipe, 6 February 2006 – Jordiney’s mother Gimé said her young son felt fine in the morning.
Egypt is now polio-free
CAIRO, Egypt, 1 February 2006 – Polio and Egypt go back a long way. Archaeological evidence suggests that children living along the banks of the river Nile were being disabled by the disease even in pharaonic times. That’s one reason why today’s announcement – that Egypt has been declared polio-free – is such a landmark.
Nigeria completes Africa’s largest-ever measles campaign
NEW YORK, USA, 14 December 2005 – The Government of Nigeria has just completed Africa’s largest-ever measles campaign in an effort to reduce measles deaths and morbidity.
Dedication is paying off for Sierra Leone’s polio programmes
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, 12 December 2005 – Sierra Leone is within reach of meeting its goal of being certified polio free, having just completed the final round of immunizations for this calendar year.
Tackling polio in Liberia
MONROVIA, Liberia, 8 December 2005 – The final push in this year’s battle to eradicate polio in Africa begins on 9 December with the fourth round of National Immunization Days (NIDs). These campaigns have been synchronized across up to 23 African countries polio in the course of 2005.
Vaccines key to saving children's lives
NEW DELHI, India, 7-8 December 2005 – The world’s foremost experts in public health, vaccine manufacturers and policy makers have gathered in New Delhi 7-8 December for the 3rd Partners' Meeting of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, or GAVI.
Saving lives in Nepal through vitamin A distribution
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 29 November 2005 – Moti Bhandari looks into the mirror and adds the finishing touches to her make-up: a big red mark with the logo of a vitamin A campaign on her forehead. She then slings her green cloth bag with the same logo across her shoulders, calls out to her 9-year-old daughter Sarita to mind the store, and heads for the vitamin A distribution centre with her 2-year-old son in tow.
Immunization campaign protects half a million children from preventable diseases
CHINARI, Pakistan, 22 November 2005 – As winter approaches, poor hygiene conditions and the possible outbreak of disease are threatening the lives of tens of thousands quake survivors in Pakistan’s relief camps.
UNICEF-supported campaign protects 1.5 million people from malaria
ANTSIRANANA, Madagascar, 16 November 2005 – Malaria is the biggest killer of children in Madagascar. Every day some 160 children die from preventable diseases in the country, and more than a quarter of those are from malaria.
Polio stopped again in 10 African countries as major immunization campaigns launch
NEW YORK, USA, 11 November 2005 – Twenty-eight African countries are launching synchronized polio immunization campaigns today in a concerted effort to help drive the virus out of the continent forever. Meanwhile public health officials have confirmed that a polio epidemic which recently flared in 10 African countries has been successfully stopped, as a result of similar campaigns earlier this year.
UN Foundation commits $20 million to eradicate measles worldwide
NEW YORK, 2 November 2005 – UN Foundation Chairman Ted Turner has announced a new commitment of $20 million to the Measles Initiative, an effort supported by UNICEF and partners to eradicate measles worldwide. UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman welcomed the move, saying, “It's a major vote of confidence in the effectiveness of this partnership.”
Immunization campaign seeks to prevent resurgence of polio in the Philippines
TAWI-TAWI, Philippines, 13 October 2005 – The Philippines has been polio-free since 2000, and the country is going to great lengths to keep it that way, especially now that more than 200 children have contracted the disease in neighbouring Indonesia.
Vaccine is key to preventing outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis
NEW YORK, 5 October 2005 – In the crowded children’s ward of a hospital in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Ram Kumar desperately tries to revive his son Sagar, who is very sick. Doctors watch, knowing they have already done what they can to help the young boy, whose father brought him here after a three-day journey by oxcart.
Fight continues against polio outbreak in Indonesia
GIRIJAYA, Indonesia, 29 September 2005 – In this verdant mountain village, high in the hills of west Java, two-year-old Fikri must now learn to walk for the second time in his life. But he now stumbles with braces strapped to his legs.
Public information plays key role in Bangladesh measles campaign
SARIAKANDI, Bangladesh, 22 September 2005 – This sleepy outback community by the banks of the Brahmaputra River is located about 200 km from the national capital, Dhaka. Sariakandi’s people are accustomed to dealing with problems: erosion, floods, poverty and unemployment.
Responding to new cases, polio immunization campaign launched in southern Madagascar
ANTANANARIVO, 20 September 2005 – In response to the detection of three cases of polio in southern Madagascar, the Ministry of Health has launched a campaign to immunize some 650,000 children in Tulear province. The campaign is running through October.
Polio immunization campaign to protect 20 million children in India
DEOGARH, India, 20 September 2005 – Beginning on Sunday, nearly 100,000 vaccinators will immunize more than 20 million children against polio in Bihar state – one of two states in India where polio remains endemic.
Mozambique holds its largest ever immunization campaign
LIONDE, Gaza Province, Mozambique, 8 September 2005 – From dusty rural villages to exotic tourist towns, the sounds of children screaming in shock after a short jab from a needle, echoed through Mozambique this week as more than two million children lined up in the biggest ever mass immunization campaign in the country.
Funds for immunization will save lives
NEW YORK, 9 September 2005 – Nearly 30 million children go without immunization each year. But today a new plan of action may help ensure these children get the vaccines they need.
Public information and immunization go hand-in hand in massive Indonesia polio campaign
JAKARTA, 30 August 2005 – A group of Indonesian mothers wearing brilliantly-coloured headscarves are gathered in the small meeting room of the local ‘Puskesmas’ (community health centre), where they come to learn about nutrition, immunization and the importance of exclusive breastfeeding. The children are outside, playing in the warm afternoon – unaware that just a few miles away, polio has struck eight of their peers and paralyzed them forever.
Immunization: Reaching children by rail
INDIA, June 6, 2005 – The search for unvaccinated children in India has taken UNICEF to bus stations, railway platforms and busy street corners. Now children are receiving polio vaccinations on passenger trains as they speed across the plains of the northern states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. In mid-May, on just one route, nearly 8,000 children under five years received vaccinations during a five-day immunization drive – over 1,500 on the first day alone.
Yemen: Nationwide immunization campaign seeks to stop polio outbreak
SANA’A, Yemen, 2 June 2005 – The Government of Yemen has organized a nationwide immunization campaign, seeking to reach 5 million children, in order to halt a recent polio outbreak.
Indonesia: Massive campaign to stop a polio outbreak
JAKARTA, 1 June 2005 – A massive polio immunization campaign has begun on the island of Java, Indonesia, aiming to protect more than 6.4 million children from the crippling disease.
African immunization campaign strikes back against global polio epidemic
NEW YORK, 13 May 2005 – Striking at the heart of a global polio epidemic, a door-to-door immunization campaign kicks off on 14 May, aiming to reach the most vulnerable children in the poorest communities across Africa.
Occupied Palestinian territory: Massive campaign to protect children from mumps
WEST BANK, oPt, 10 May 2005 - Saddam, an 11-year old boy, awoke on Tuesday morning as usual, ready for school. However, it was not a normal day for Saddam. He felt pain and swelling in his neck, and was feverish. Saddam instantly informed his mother, Safiyyeh, who advised him to go to school and seek the advice of the school principal.
Indonesia fights polio outbreak
WEST JAVA, Indonesia, 6 May 2005 – The Indonesian Health Ministry today confirmed that another child has been paralysed by polio, bringing the total to five so far in the current outbreak. Officials have informed UNICEF that a further nine suspected polio cases are being investigated.
Anti-malarial bednet programme succeeds in Tanzania
KIBAHA, Tanzania, 3 May 2005 – In hospitals all across Kibaha District, women have been given access to subsidized bednets designed to protect them and their children against malaria.
Nigeria’s polio immunisation campaign takes off
LAGOS, Nigeria, 18 April 2005 – Nigeria has just completed the second round of its Polio National Immunisation Days for 2005. For the first time ever, vaccination teams were dispatched to the Lagos Murtala Muhammed International and Domestic airports in an effort to immunise children under five against polio. Nigeria hopes to reach 40 million children in this latest vaccination campaign.
Kicking polio out of Liberia
TUBMANBURG, Liberia, 15 April 2005 – Peace has finally returned to this West African nation, and a vitally important peace dividend is reaching every corner of the county: the protection of all children from polio.
50th Anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine
NEW YORK, 12 April 2005 – Fifty years to the day since Dr. Jonas Salk and his team of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh had their polio vaccine approved, the world is on the cusp of eliminating the virus for good. At its peak, poliomeylitis paralyzed and killed up to half a million people a year. In 2004, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 1263 cases worldwide.
Côte d’Ivoire: Second round of massive polio drive seeks to reach every child
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire, 12 April 2005 – On a vast lagoon outside this capital city, once known as the Paris of Africa, two wooden boats packed with people meet for a few moments – just long enough for several babies to be passed from one boat to the other.
Young women in one of the boats, clad in orange life jackets, drop some liquid into each small mouth.
Africa polio campaign at critical stage
NEW YORK, 8 April 2005 – The critical second stage of the mass immunization campaign to stop the spread of polio across Africa is now underway. A total of 23 countries are taking part in the drive to immunize 100 million children across the continent, as the epidemic continues.
Partnership with Bank releases millions of dollars for children
NEW YORK, 1 April 2005 - UNICEF has reached a partnership agreement with the African Development Bank that could open the door to millions of dollars of financial support for children.
African music shines spotlight on malaria
DAKAR, Senegal, 11 March 2005 - Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds in Africa. Grammy-winning Senegalese musician and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Youssou N’Dour warned journalists of the daily tragedy that Africa faces due to malaria.
UNICEF and WHO join forces to ensure proper vaccine management
NEW YORK, 8 March 2005 - Vaccines protect three-quarters of the world’s children against childhood diseases every year. If they are not properly stored and handled, there is a risk that they will lose their potency or, worse, be rendered entirely useless.
Measles deaths plummet
NEW YORK, 4 March 2005 - The number of children dying from measles around the world has been slashed by an estimated 39 percent since 1999. Africa, the region with the highest measles mortality rates, also saw the greatest progress, decreasing their numbers by almost 50 per cent.
Vaccinators strive to ‘reach the unreachable’ in Liberia’s polio campaign
NEW YORK, 4 March 2005 - Liberia has completed the first of four rounds of polio vaccinations this year, designed to reach all children under the age of five. This effort is part of a massive polio immunization drive involving 23 countries across the African continent. The aim is to reach a hundred million children and drive polio out of Africa for good.
Polio vaccine reaches 5 million children
KABUL, 27 February 2005 – A three-day polio immunization campaign in Afghanistan has succeeded in vaccinating an estimated 5.3 million children under the age of five.
Life-saving immunization drive launches in DR Congo
NEW YORK, 28 February 2005 - A UNICEF supported immunization drive, which begins officially in March will send vaccinators into villages across the Democratic Republic of the Congo to immunize children against a host of childhood diseases.
Building up immunization one dose at a time in southern Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, 22 February 2005 – Lialuma, a 26-year-old mother of six children, sits quietly holding her pale baby in her arms at the Out Patient Department Centre in Kandahar City, southern Afghanistan. “I’m afraid that he can’t be saved. I’ve already bought a piece of white cloth for his funeral. I’ve taken him to three doctors, but he is not getting better. This is the second child I’m going to lose,” says a desperate Lialuma.
Polio drive seeks to vaccinate 100 million children in Africa
As part of a massive polio immunization drive across Africa, more than a million health workers will be travelling, by land, sea and air, house to house through 22 countries, to vaccinate roughly 100 million children.
Nationwide immunization success in Georgia
NEW YORK, 17 January 2005 – Since gaining independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991, Georgia has been struggling to modernize. A decade of civil unrest and economic upheaval caused the public health system to collapse and the number of children immunized against preventable diseases dropped to just 30 per cent.
Vaccination campaign focuses on tackling social resistance to vaccine
UTTAR PRADESH, India, 6 January 2005 - With its density of population, areas of severe poverty and varied cultures, western Uttar Pradesh is where the campaign to eradicate polio is at greatest risk of failure.
Vital second round of anti-polio immunizations begins in Africa’s largest ever health campaign
NEW YORK, 18 November 2004 – A massive cross-border campaign to immunize children against polio is starting this week in Africa. From 20 to 23 November, thousands of volunteers and health workers will go door-to-door in 24 African countries to administer a second round of vaccinations in Africa’s largest ever public health initiative.
Largest-ever health campaign fights polio in Africa
NEW YORK, 19 October 2004 – More than one million vaccinators and volunteers are going door-to-door in sub-Saharan Africa with one aim: to stop a polio epidemic from killing millions of children.
Africa polio campaign 2004: How polio haunts Africa – and how Africans are fighting back
DAKAR, Senegal, 7 OCTOBER 2004 – Defeating polio takes more than money and vaccines. It needs understanding – from parents, government officials and community leaders – that having children immunized against this crippling disease is necessary, safe and good.
