Press Centre - Media Advisory

UNICEF TO LAUNCH MAJOR NEW HEALTH TECHNOLOGY IN MALI - CRITICAL TO ELIMINATE MATERNAL AND NEONATAL TETANUS BY 2005.

UNICEF is Organising A Media Visit to Mali from 25 - 31 July 2002

WHO: Rima Salah, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa
Gary Cohen, President of Becton Dickenson (BD)

WHAT: The launch of Tetanus Toxoid Uniject, a groundbreaking injection device that will change the way immunizations are administered. This will be the first time globally that Uniject will be used with the tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccine, and the first time that non-health workers will administer vaccination by injection.

WHEN: July 25-31, 2002

WHERE: Mali (Bla and Bougouni districts)

WHY: Through immunization and hygienic birth practices, maternal and neonatal tetanus can be eliminated globally. Yet in 57 developing countries, tetanus continues to take the lives of 200,000 newborns and 30,000 mothers each year. This is because it is often difficult to reach women and children in remote communities as the vaccine must be kept fresh and cold, and the vaccination can only be administed by trained health workers.

But with UNIJECT these difficulties have been overcome:

• Virtually anyone - even non-medical persons such as teachers, traditional birth attendants and extension workers - will be able to give the injection.
• the vaccine can stay potent outside the refrigerator for up to 30 days;
  
• UNIJECT can only be used once, so that there is no risk that the health worker or volunteer will re-use the needle.

The introduction of Uniject will dramatically increase immunization coverage and significantly contribute to the goal of elimination of maternal and neo-natal tetanus by 2005.

For more information, or to participate in the media visit to Mali, please call:

Mohammad Jalloh, UNICEF, Media, New York, 212 326 7516, mjalloh@unicef.org
Alison Qualter, US Fund for UNICEF Media, 212 922 2659, aqualter@unicefusa.org
Kent Page, UNICEF, Abidjan, 225 220 20 81 03, kpage@unicef.org
Ismail Maiga, UNICEF, Bamako, 223 20 44 01, imaiga@unicef.org