Kathmandu, Nepal:, In early 2020, recently recruited into the latest cohort of Teach for Nepal (TFN) fellows, Rashmi Thapa had been looking forward to heading off to Sindhupalchowk District and starting to teach at her assigned school. But the threat of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown meant that Rashmi and the other fellows could not begin their placements as…

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON DC, 26 November 2020:, UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced today the launch of a tender inviting all COVID-19 vaccine developers to submit a proposal for supply in 2021. The tender, which will run for 6 weeks, aims to provide at least 2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the COVAX Facility , administered by Gavi, the Vaccine…

NEW YORK, 19 November 2020, – UNICEF warned in a new report today of significant and growing consequences for children as the COVID-19 pandemic lurches toward a second year. Released ahead of World Children’s Day, Averting a Lost COVID Generation is the first UNICEF report to comprehensively outline the dire and growing consequences for children as the pandemic drags on. It…, learn, , including by closing the digital divide. Guarantee access to, nutrition, and, health services, and make, vaccines, affordable and available to every child. Support and protect the mental health of children and young people and bring an end to abuse, gender-based violence and neglect in childhood. Increase access to, safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, and address, environmental degradation and climate change., Reverse the rise in, child poverty, and ensure an inclusive recovery for all. Redouble efforts to protect and support children and their families living through, conflict, disaster and displacement., “This World Children’s Day, we are asking governments, partners and the private sector to listen to children and prioritize their needs,” Fore said. “As we all reimagine the future and look ahead toward a post-pandemic world, children must come first.”, In Nepal,, to mark World Children’s Day on 20 November, and highlight the issues around children’s and young people’s wellbeing, UNICEF Nepal will host a virtual children’s parliamentary session and a virtual festival of visions and voices of young people. In addition, UNICEF Nepal is launching a mental health campaign ‘Ma Chhu Ni’ to help to build an allyship among young people.         Of particular…, report will go live at 00.01 GMT 19 November here: https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/six-point-plan-protect-children For the UNICEF survey on disruptions to child services due to COVID-19 across 148 countries from 17 August to 17 September, click here . The data used for the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among children and adolescents under…

NEW YORK/ GENEVA/ ATLANTA, 12 November 2020, – Measles surged worldwide in 2019 reaching highest number of reported cases in 23 years.,  , Highlighted in a publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases worldwide increased to 869,770 in 2019, the highest number reported since 1996 with increases in all WHO regions. Global measles deaths climbed nearly 50 percent since 2016, claiming an estimated…, Global response to COVID-19 pandemic must not exacerbate the measles crisis, Although reported cases of measles are lower in 2020, necessary efforts to control COVID-19 have resulted in disruptions in vaccination and crippled efforts to prevent and minimize measles outbreaks. As of November, more than 94 million people were at risk of missing vaccines due to paused measles campaigns in 26 countries.  Many of these…, Causes of failure to control measles are many and must be addressed, Global immunization partners are engaging leaders and public health professionals in affected and at-risk countries to ensure that measles vaccines are available and safely delivered, and that caregivers understand the life-saving benefit of the vaccine.  On 6 November 2020, WHO and UNICEF issued an emergency call to action for measles and polio…, Quotes from Our Partners, “These alarming figures should act as a warning that, with the COVID-19 pandemic occupying health systems across the world, we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball when it comes to other deadly diseases. Measles is entirely preventable; in a time in which we have a powerful, safe and cost-effective vaccine nobody should still be dying of…

“It’s not that people have not understood. They are wearing masks, for example, but not in the correct way.” Nepal Scout Alisha Dahal recently saw firsthand how despite knowing about the key public health safety measures against COVID-19, actual practice on the ground is falling well short of expectations. “We found that a lot of elderly people…

NEW YORK/GENEVA, /KATHMANDU, ,, 11, September 2020, – The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in 2019 – down to 5.2 million from 12.5 million in 1990, according to new mortality estimates released by UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Bank Group. Since…, For the UNICEF survey on disruptions due to COVID-19,, click here, ., Main report landing page: https://data.unicef.org/resources/levels-and-trends-in-child-mortality/ Datasets: https://data.unicef.org/resources/dataset/child-mortality/ Narrative page https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/under-five-mortality/

KATHMANDU, 10 September 2020 –, On World Suicide Prevention Day, UNICEF calls on government and development partners, civil society, communities and families, to contribute to the prevention, therapy, treatment, and rehabilitation services for children and young people and ensure that mental health becomes part of mainstream health care services in Nepal. For many families in…, Please note: You can seek the support of psychosocial counselors if you feel excessive stress through a toll-free number 1660 010 2005 (8 am to 6 pm) or from other service providers. For mental health services including treatment options please contact the Kanti Children’s Hospital or call 9808522410., This image shows a mother's placing a comforting hand on her child's leg UNICEF Nepal/2019/LPNgakhusi

Kathmandu, Nepal:, Dr. Ranjan Kumar Dahal’s memories of that first day in the ICU at the Armed Police Force Hospital in Kathmandu are hazy at best. He had been admitted to the facility after his COVID-19 test results came back positive and his oxygen levels dropped to a critical low. “I was dazed and confused,” he says. “I was going in and out of consciousness … At…

NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN/KATHMANDU, 4 September 2020, – UNICEF is leading efforts to procure and supply COVID-19 vaccines in what could possibly be the world’s largest and fastest ever procurement and supply of vaccines, as part of the global vaccine plan of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility (COVAX Facility) led by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. With several vaccine candidates showing promise…

Bara, Nepal:, Sabina Thapa remembers when she first started to suspect that she may have acquired COVID-19. A few weeks ago, she had developed a slight fever, followed by some difficulty in breathing. “This was similar to what I had heard were the symptoms,” says the 24-year-old resident of Jeetpursimara in Nepal’s south. “Even though I wasn’t sure how it had…