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5 results
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Press release
24 October 2016
Increasing immunization coverage is priority for Ukrainian Government – Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/increasing-immunization-coverage-priority-ukraine
KYIV, 24 October 2016 – Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Pavlo Rozenko, representatives of the Ukrainian Government and the Presidential Administration have expressed their commitment to restore the routine immunization programme in Ukraine. Speaking at a high-level roundtable on immunization, organized by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and UNICEF on the occasion of World Polio Day, Vice Prime Minister Rozenko said: “Evidence-based medicine confirms the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent diseases such as polio, tetanus or whooping cough. Increasing the rates of immunization coverage is an important task and a priority of the government and a matter of national security.” Ukraine currently has the lowest routine immunization rates in the world. According to the Ministry of Health data, only 30 percent of children in Ukraine were fully immunized against measles, only 10 percent against hepatitis B, and only 3 percent against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, as of August 2016. Moreover, only 44 percent of children under 18 months of age were fully immunized against polio. Shortage of vaccine supplies has been one of the main reasons behind the critically low immunization rates in the past years. To address this, at the request of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, UNICEF has procured a number of high quality certified vaccines to protect children against dangerous vaccine-preventable diseases, namely  tuberculosis (BCG), measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP), tetanus and diphtheria vaccine for adults (Td), paediatric diphtheria and tetanus (DT), rabies, and bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV). The vaccines are now available in health facilities across the country. “This time last year, Ukraine was dealing with a polio outbreak. The comprehensive outbreak response was successfully implemented with the help of international partners, but this success is still fragile”, said Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. “With such low routine immunization coverage, Ukraine is still at risk of outbreaks of long-forgotten diseases. Today, with millions of doses of vaccines available across the country, there is no reason to delay vaccination. Being vaccinated is fundamental to guarantee child’s right to health and now more than ever, it is important for Ukraine to put in place a strong and effective immunization programme,” she added. Speaking at the event, Professor David Salisbury, Chairman of the European Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication said: “The polio cases in 2015 in Ukraine happened as a direct consequence of failings in the provision of vaccines for children. Efforts have been made to redress these problems but there is still more that needs to be done to give the children of Ukraine protection from vaccine preventable diseases. I am greatly encouraged by the commitments that have been made today and I look forward to being able to remove Ukraine from our list of polio high-risk countries.” Representatives of the Governments of Canada and the United States of America, who provided funding for the polio outbreak response last year, reaffirmed their support for restoring the routine immunization programme in Ukraine. “Canada worked hard last year with Ukraine’s Health Ministry to get nationwide polio vaccination restarted. We are grateful to the thousands of doctors who helped vaccinate millions of children. This year, we are happy to see that the UN has made more vaccines available. But still, far too many children are not routinely fully vaccinated. I urge Ukrainian parents to take advantage of these free vaccines and protect their children from completely unnecessary illnesses,” said H.E. Roman Waschuk, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine, speaking at the Roundtable today. "Ukraine must continue to build on the great progress that has been made globally to eradicate polio," explained USAID Ukraine Director Susan Fritz. "These positive developments will only have the necessary impact if there is strong and visible political support from leadership at all levels of the Ukrainian Government." “Myths about vaccination that have been spread in recent years are not rooted in evidence-based medicine. As a result, Ukraine has been dealing with cases of diseases that have been long-forgotten in the rest of the world. It is important that the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, the Government and our international partners recognize the problem and are willing to work together with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to resolve it. Increasing vaccination coverage rates in the country is our priority. This is not only a question of health and life of the citizens of Ukraine. This is a national security issue,” said Dr Ulana Suprun, Acting Minister of Health of Ukraine. “Necessary vaccines are available in all regions of the country. I appeal to all citizens who care about their life and health: get vaccinated and vaccinate your children,” added Dr Suprun. Nurse Ivana Knysh administers Maksym, 5, with a Hepatitis B vaccine as he holds his mother's hand, at Novoselytsi Family Medical Facility, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine. UNICEF/UN060132/Oleksii Nurse Ivana Knysh administers Maksym, 5, with a Hepatitis B vaccine as he holds his mother's hand, at Novoselytsi Family Medical Facility, Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine.
Press release
28 February 2019
Alarming global surge of measles cases a growing threat to children
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/alarming-global-surge-measles-cases-growing-threat-children
NEW YORK, 1 March 2019 – UNICEF warned today that global cases of measles are surging to alarmingly high levels, led by ten countries accounting for more than 74 per cent of the total increase, and several others that had previously been declared measles free. Countries with ten highest increases in cases between 2017 & 2018 1 1. Ukraine                                                                                         30,338 2. Philippines                                                                                    13,192 3. Brazil                                                                                            10,262 4. Yemen                                                                                            6,641 5. Venezuela                                                                                      4,916 6. Serbia                                                                                             4,355 7. Madagascar                                                                                   4,307 8. Sudan                                                                                             3,496 9. Thailand                                                                                         2,758 10. France                                                                                          2,269   Globally, 98 countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared to 2017, eroding progress against this highly preventable, but potentially deadly disease. Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases in measles cases from 2017 to 2018. In Ukraine alone, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018. According to the government, another 24,042 people were infected just in the first two months of 2019. In the Philippines so far this year, there have been 12,736 measles cases and 203 deaths 2 , compared to 15,599 cases in the whole of 2018. "This is a wake up call. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease – a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades,” said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “These cases haven’t happened overnight. Just as the serious outbreaks we are seeing today took hold in 2018, lack of action today will have disastrous consequences for children tomorrow." Measles is highly contagious, more so than Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza. The virus can be contracted by someone up to two hours after an infected person has left a room. It spreads through air and infects the respiratory tract, potentially killing malnourished children or babies too young to be vaccinated. Once infected, there is no specific treatment for measles, so vaccination is a life-saving tool for children. In response to these outbreaks, UNICEF and its partners are supporting governments to urgently reach millions of children in countries around the globe. For example: In Ukraine, UNICEF has provided ongoing support to accelerate routine immunization across the country and address vaccine hesitancy, including additional efforts to stop the most recent outbreak that has claimed 30 lives since 2017. In February, the Ministry of Health, with UNICEF’s support, launched an immunization drive at schools and clinics in the worst-hit Lviv region in western Ukraine, where negative attitudes toward immunization, and previous shortages in vaccine supply, have resulted in low vaccination rates. In the Philippines, the government, with support from UNICEF and partners, will conduct a campaign to vaccinate 9 million children against measles across 17 regions. Using social media, campaigners plan to encourage apprehensive parents, and health workers. In Brazil, from August to September 2018, the government carried out a campaign against polio and measles, targeting more than 11 million children under five. UNICEF encouraged people to get vaccinated, and trained health monitors working in migrant shelters for Venezuelans. UNICEF has included the measles vaccine as part of the Municipal Seal programme that covers 1,924 municipalities. In Yemen, where years of conflict led to an outbreak, local authorities with support from UNICEF, WHO and GAVI vaccinated more than 11.5 million children in February.  In Madagascar, from 3 September to 21 February, 76,871 people were infected by measles and 928 died, a majority of which were children. In January, the government, with support of partners including UNICEF, launched an immunization campaign to target all 114 districts. Over 2 million children were immunized in 25 districts. In February, 1.4 million children were vaccinated, with another 3.9 million more to follow in March.  Notable reported measles cases in 2018 in countries with no reported cases in 2017 Brazil                                                                                                                    10,262 Moldova                                                                                                                    312 Montenegro                                                                                                               203 Colombia                                                                                                                   188 Timor-Leste                                                                                                                 59 Peru                                                                                                                            38 Chile                                                                                                                           23 Uzbekistan                                                                                                                 17   Poor health infrastructure, civil strife, low community awareness, complacency and vaccine hesitancy in some cases have led to these outbreaks in both developed and developing countries. For example, in the United States, the number of measles cases increased six-fold between 2017 and 2018, reaching 791 cases 3 . More recently, the U.S. has seen outbreaks in New York and Washington state. “Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse,” said Fore. “Measles may be the disease, but, all too often, the real infection is misinformation, mistrust and complacency. We must do more to accurately inform every parent, to help us safely vaccinate every child.” To fight measles, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, and parents to do more to contain the disease by: Understanding that vaccines are safe and effective and can save a child’s life Vaccinating all children between the ages of six months to five years during outbreaks Training and equipping health workers so they can provide quality services Strengthening immunization programmes to deliver all life-saving vaccines   Notes to editors Download photos and broll here. About the Measles and Rubella Initiative UNICEF is part of the Measles and Rubella Initiative , a private-public partnership of five global partners including WHO, CDC, United Nations Foundation and American Red Cross that has been spearheading a global push towards measles and rubella elimination.   1 The analysis is based on WHO’s global measles and rubella data of 194 countries for the year 2017 and 2018,released as of 9 January 2019. To know more, click here . The analysis is based on the total confirmed cases of measles. A more recent dataset was released as of 11 February 2019 after the publication of the release. These data are considered provisional, until they are finalized around mid-year, to allow time for reporting lag to be addressed.  2 Until 23 February 2019. For the source, click here .  3 Correction: “the number of measles cases increased over three-fold between 2017 and 2018, reaching 372 cases.” Correction updates a data error in the original source. Maryana Dzuba, 9, receives her first dose of MMR vaccine on 21 February 2019 in the medical centre of the Lapaivka village school, Lviv region, Ukraine, as part of a three-week long catch-up vaccination campaign to increase MMR coverage among school aged children in the region. UNICEF/UN0284080/ Dyachyshyn Maryana Dzuba, 9, receives her first dose of MMR vaccine on 21 February 2019 in the medical centre of the Lapaivka village school, Lviv region, Ukraine, as part of a three-week long catch-up vaccination campaign to increase MMR coverage among school aged children in the region.
Press release
04 November 2021
Ukraine to receive $2.8 million worth of cold chain equipment to support COVID vaccination
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/ukraine-receive-28-million-worth-cold-chain-equipment-support-covid-vaccination
Kyiv 25 October 2021 - The Ministry of Health of Ukraine in partnership with UNICEF, and with financial support from the US Government through USAID, starts an unprecedented upgrade to the cold chain for vaccines at the national level, in the context of COVID pandemic. To meet immediate needs, a total of $2.8 million provided by USAID will be used by UNICEF to procure WHO-prequalified passive cooling equipment to ensure safe and efficient transport and temporary storage of vaccines for primary health care facilities and mobile teams.  The USAID donation will provide equipment to some 3,100 vaccination sites nationwide, including 1,034 sites based at primary healthcare facilities and nearly 800 mobile teams.  The equipment will include: 5,643 cold boxes,  8,100 vaccine carriers, 197,730 ice-packs, 27,486 temperature monitoring devices  The first batch of equipment arrived on September 30, and includes 2,700 vaccine carriers that can keep COVID-19 vaccines between +2 to +8°C. This equipment can also be used in the future for routine vaccines included in the national immunization  schedule. “Every adult person in Ukraine has a chance to get a vaccination against COVID-19 today.  We have enough vaccines to immunize 70 percent of the population by the end of the year.  The Ministry is expecting to  receive more COVID-19 vaccines  in October-November. We are grateful to  partners helping us ensure safe transport and temporary storage of the larger amount of vaccines we are receiving,”  said Ihor Kuzin,  Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine. “The U.S. Government, as the largest donor to COVAX, is proud to partner with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the international community in this historic effort to rapidly scale up COVID-19 vaccines. This investment in Ukraine's cold chain system will help ensure that vaccination sites across the country can transport and store vaccines at the proper temperature. This will increase Ukrainians' access to safe, high-quality COVID 19 vaccines - and will strengthen the national immunization system,"  said James Hope, the USAID Mission Director.  “Reliable cold chain is a key to the success of any immunization program. Systemic large-scale update of the cold chain has long been on the agenda in Ukraine. At UNICEF, we are happy to support this important cause and grateful to the US Government for their valuable contribution that makes this update possible. The equipment we start delivering will serve the people of Ukraine in COVID vaccination campaign and will remain to support routine immunization”, said Murat Sahin, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. To date, USAID has committed an estimated $10 million to support Ukraine’s vaccination efforts, and donated approximately 2.2 million COVID-19 vaccines directly to Ukraine through COVAX. USAID funds also support technical assistance and training of health workers in the transport and storage of vaccines, and are helping to expand nationwide communications efforts.  By meeting the most urgent needs, USAID's contribution is expected to complement investments from the World Bank, UNICEF, COVAX and the Government of Ukraine to upgrade permanent cold chain infrastructure for both COVID and routine vaccination in the future. Support to strengthen the cold chain in Ukraine is part of USAID’s broader assistance to respond to and mitigate the effects of COVID-19 amounting to more than $50 million total since the outbreak began in Ukraine.  COVID-19 vacccines. UNICEF
Press release
30 January 2018
UNICEF seeks $3.6 billion in emergency assistance for 48 million children caught up in catastrophic humanitarian crises
https://www.unicef.org/eca/press-releases/unicef-seeks-36-billion-emergency-assistance-48-million-children-caught-catastrophic
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 30 January 2018 – UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children 2018 UNICEF appealed today for $3.6 billion to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to 48 million children living through conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies in 51 countries in 2018.  Around the world, violent conflict is driving humanitarian needs to critical levels, with children especially vulnerable. Conflicts that have endured for years – such as those in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Nigeria, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen, among other countries –  continue to deepen in complexity, bringing new waves of violence, displacement and disruption to children’s lives.  “Children cannot wait for wars to be brought to an end, with crises threatening the immediate survival and long term future of children and young people on a catastrophic scale,” said UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes, Manuel Fontaine. “Children are the most vulnerable when conflict or disaster causes the collapse of essential services such as healthcare, water and sanitation. Unless the international community takes urgent action to protect and provide life-saving assistance to these children, they face an increasingly bleak future.” Parties to conflicts are showing a blatant disregard for the lives of children. Children are not only coming under direct attack, but are also being denied basic services as schools, hospitals and civilian infrastructure are damaged or destroyed. Approximately 84 per cent ($3.015 billion) of the 2018 funding appeal is for work in countries affected by humanitarian crises borne of violence and conflict. The world is becoming a more dangerous place for many children, with almost one in four children now living in a country affected by conflict or disaster. For too many of these children, daily life is a nightmare.  The spread of water-borne diseases is one of the greatest threats to children’s lives in crises. Attacks on water and sanitation infrastructure, siege tactics which deny children access to safe water, as well as forced displacement into areas with no water and sanitation infrastructure – all leave children and families at risk of relying on contaminated water and unsafe sanitation. Girls and women face additional threats, as they often fulfil the role of collecting water for their families in dangerous situations.  “117 million people living through emergencies lack access to safe water and in many countries affected by conflict, more children die from diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation than from direct violence,” said Fontaine. “Without access to safe water and sanitation, children fall ill, and are often unable to be treated as hospitals and health centres either do not function or are overcrowded. The threat is even greater as millions of children face life-threatening levels of malnutrition, making them more susceptible to water-borne diseases like cholera, creating a vicious cycle of undernutrition and disease.” As the leading humanitarian agency on water, sanitation and hygiene in emergencies, UNICEF provides over half of the emergency water, sanitation and hygiene services in humanitarian crises around the world.  When disasters strike, UNICEF works with partners to quickly provide access to safe drinking water, sanitation services and hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease. This includes establishing latrines, distributing hygiene kits, trucking thousands of litres of water to displacement camps daily, supporting hospitals and cholera treatment centres, and repairing water and sanitation systems. These measures save lives, have long-term impact and pave the way for other important services like health clinics, vaccination programmes, nutrition support and emergency education.  The largest component of UNICEF’s appeal this year is for children and families caught up in the Syria conflict, soon to enter its eighth year. UNICEF is seeking almost $1.3 billion to support 6.9 million Syrian children inside Syria and those living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Working with partners and with the support of donors, in 2018 UNICEF aims to: Provide 35.7 million people with access to safe water;  Reach 8.9 million children with formal or non-formal basic education;  Immunize 10 million children against measles; Provide psychosocial support to over 3.9 million children; Treat 4.2 million children with severe acute malnutrition. In the first ten months of 2017, as a result of UNICEF’s support:  29.9 million people were provided with access to safe water; 13.6 million children were vaccinated against measles; 5.5 million children accessed some form of education; 2.5 million children were treated for severe acute malnutrition; 2.8 million children accessed psycho-social support.    Sonia, 14 remembers the teachers helping to her calm down. UNICEF/UN0312564/Filippov
Programme
18 October 2017
Refugee and migrant children in Europe
https://www.unicef.org/eca/refugee-and-migrant-children
People have always migrated to flee from trouble or to find better opportunities. Today, more people are on the move than ever, trying to escape from climate change, poverty and conflict, and aided as never before by digital technologies. Children make up one-third of the world’s population, but almost half of the world’s refugees: nearly 50 million children have migrated or been displaced across borders.   We work to prevent the causes that uproot children from their homes While working to safeguard refugee and migrant children in Europe, UNICEF is also working on the ground in their countries of origin to ease the impact of the poverty, lack of education, conflict and insecurity that fuel global refugee and migrant movements. In every country, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and from Nigeria to Iraq, we strive to ensure all children are safe, healthy, educated and protected.  This work accelerates and expands when countries descend into crisis. In Syria, for example, UNICEF has been working to ease the impact of the country’s conflict on children since it began in 2011. We are committed to delivering essential services for Syrian families and to prevent Syria's children from becoming a ‘ lost generation ’. We support life-saving areas of health , nutrition , immunization , water and sanitation, as well as education and child protection . We also work in neighbouring countries to support Syrian refugee families and the host communities in which they have settled.   

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