14 April 2025

Monitoring children’s development through primary health care in Europe and Central Asia

A large amount of scientific knowledge has accumulated on the importance of early childhood development (ECD) for societal prosperity. Early childhood is the period that sets the foundations for health, well-being, learning, and productivity over the course of a person’s life, and has an impact on subsequent gener...
06 September 2024

1 in 5 infant deaths in Europe and Central Asia linked to air pollution - UNICEF

GENEVA, 6 September 2024, – More than 5,480 infants in 23 countries and territories across Europe and Central Asia died from causes linked to air pollution in 2021, according to a new policy brief published today by UNICEF. Deaths linked to air pollution across the region accounted for 1 in 5 of all deaths of chil...
23 April 2024

European Immunization Week 2024

Copenhagen, Geneva, Brussels, Sofia 23 April 2024 – , Vaccines are one of humanity’s greatest achievements., In the last 50 years alone, they’ve saved 154 million lives – that’s more than 3 million lives a year or six people every minute for five decades. In the same period, vaccination has reduced infant deaths b...
05 May 2022

When to help your teen find mental health support

Throughout adolescence, nurturing and supportive parenting remains one of the strongest protective factors in maintaining well-being and good mental health. Positive relationships with parents and caregivers remain central to development and mental well-being in adolescence. There are times when you may notice cha...
26 April 2022

European Immunization Week – celebrating the progress and potential of vaccines

Sofia, 26 April 2022, - Between 24 and 30 April we mark the European Immunization Week (EIW) - an opportune moment to reflect on the importance of vaccination as one of the foundations of a functioning public health system. This year the Week highlights the historic achievements of vaccination, including progress ...
07 January 2022

Bringing basic services to Roma communities:

Maria-Magdalena is from the town of Sredets, in the Burgas Region of Bulgaria. In the spring of 2021 this seven year old girl left her home and small garden. She and her mother were accompanied to the city center to visit a medical specialist, which was the first medical examination of the little girl in her youn...
11 October 2021

Beyond smiles. How are you really?

What is mental health?, “Mental health is a part of physical health - we cannot afford to continue to view it as otherwise. For far too long, in rich and poor countries alike, we have seen too little understanding and too little investment in a critical element of maximizing every child’s potential. This needs to ...
10 October 2021

UNICEF Bulgaria: 1 in 5 deaths among adolescents is caused by intentional self-harm

Sofia, , 1, October 2021 – , UNICEF Bulgaria launches a national campaign on the World Mental Health Day, 10 October to support the mental health of children and adolescents – Beyond smiles. How are you really? . Many children and adolescents are struggling with anxiety, depression, sadness, and other negative emo...
04 October 2021

What you need to know about the Delta variant

People around the world are concerned about the highly-contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. We’ve gathered the latest expert information to answer some of the most common questions about this new variant and will continue to update this article as more information becomes available. For more tips and information ...
02 September 2021

UNICEF Bulgaria and ‘Postbox for Fairytales’ work together to support mental health

Sofia, ,, 2, September,, 2021, ., UNICEF Bulgaria and the ‘Postbox for Fairy Tales’ literary project join efforts to support the mental health of young people. The new edition of the literary forum will be dedicated to the theme "Beyond smiles: How are you, really?". We look forward to receiving literary works of ...
26 July 2021

Municipal Coordination and Monitoring Committees of EU ChildGuarantee discussed experience & results

EU Child Guarantee Sharing of experience, good practices, acquired new knowledge and skills along with challenges in the course of work and future plans. These were the topics discussed by the participants in the first sessions of the Municipal Coordination and Monitoring Committees, established under the project ...
20 July 2021

Q&A on vaccination and travel this summer

Am I safe to travel as soon as I’m vaccinated?, For 2-dose vaccines, the protection provided is only partial after the first dose, and time is needed – typically 2 weeks – before protection reaches its maximum level after the second dose. For a 1-dose vaccine, maximum protection against COVID-19 only kicks in a fe...