GENEVA/NEW YORK, 26 April 2021, --- While immunization services have started to recover from disruptions caused by COVID-19, millions of children remain vulnerable to deadly diseases, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance warned today during World Immunization Week , highlighting the urgent need for a renewed global commitment to improve…, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, . “And if we’re to avoid multiple outbreaks of life-threatening diseases like measles, yellow fever and diphtheria, we must ensure routine vaccination services are protected in every country in the world.” A WHO survey has found that, despite progress when compared to the situation in 2020, more than one third of respondent countries (37%) still…, Dr Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, . “To support the recovery from COVID-19 and to fight future pandemics, we will need to ensure routine immunization is prioritized as we also focus on reaching children who do not receive any routine vaccines, or zero-dose children. To do this, we need to work together – across development agencies, governments and civil society – to ensure that…, New global immunization strategy aims to save over 50 million lives, To help tackle these challenges and support the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO UNICEF , Gavi and other partners today launched the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), an ambitious new global strategy to maximize the lifesaving impact of vaccines through stronger immunization systems. The Agenda focuses on vaccination throughout life, from…, Urgent action needed from all immunization stakeholders, To achieve IA2030’s ambitious goals, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and partners are calling for bold action: World leaders and the global health and development community should make explicit commitments to IA2030 and invest in stronger immunization systems, with tailored approaches for fragile and conflict-affected countries. Immunization is a vital element…

NEW YORK, 23 February 2021, – UNICEF has sent 100,000 syringes and 1,000 safety boxes for COVID-19 vaccinations to the Maldives by air freight from UNICEF’s humanitarian warehouse in Dubai—part of the first wave of COVID-19-related syringe shipments to begin rolling out in the coming days. Others in the first wave of shipments include Côte d'Ivoire and São Tomé and Príncipe…

NEW YORK, 18 December 2020, – UNICEF could potentially transport up to 850 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines per month in 2021, should such quantities become available, according to a new assessment. This is more than double the average weight of vaccines UNICEF transports every month. The assessment is part of UNICEF’s work to lead on the procurement and delivery of COVID-19…, About COVAX, COVAX is the vaccines pillar of the ACT-Accelerator . It is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO) – working in partnership with developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, UNICEF, the World Bank, Civil Society Organisations and others.…

Geneva, 03 June 2020, – Vaccine manufacturers MSD, GSK, Innovax, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SII) and Walvax have pledged to ramp up human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine supply availability for Gavi-supported countries, ahead of tomorrow’s Global Vaccine Summit 2020. This commitment is part of an ongoing UNICEF-led tender that aims to enable Gavi to dramatically…, ., Supplier comments:, John Markels, President of MSD Vaccines: “We must work together to reduce the prevalence of HPV and strive for its elimination, as called for by the WHO – this is a top priority for MSD. Despite the complexity of manufacturing at massive scale and to the highest standard of quality, we remain committed to dramatically increasing supply to Gavi,…, Notes to editors, About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped immunise a whole generation – over 760 million children – and prevented more than 13 million deaths, helping to halve…, 19 national introductions, : Rwanda, Uganda, Honduras, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Solomon Islands, Zambia, Uzbekistan, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Gambia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic.  

It’s been five months since COVID-19 started upending the lives of billions of people around the world, and we know for sure that its impact on children will last long and cut deep. We fear that COVID-19 is a health crisis that is quickly turning into a child-rights crisis. Three out of four children worldwide - or 1.8 billion children - live in…, First, , countries need to intensify their efforts to track unvaccinated children, so that the most vulnerable populations are vaccinated as soon as it becomes possible to do so. , Second, , we need to address gaps in vaccine delivery. UNICEF is working with our offices around the world, freight forwarders and partner organisations to prioritise shipments and arrange charter operations as required for delivery of emergency and critical supplies. We have also appealed to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and…, Third, , we need to look for innovative solutions to keep vaccinations going. And some countries are already leading the way. Uganda, for example, is ensuring that immunization services continue along with other essential health services, even funding transportation to ensure outreach activities. The Lao People’s Democratic Republic is conducting routine…, Fourth, , vaccines need to be affordable and accessible to those who need them the most. And, last, , we need to make sure we have the resources to do all of this. This is a significant undertaking that requires generosity and commitment. We know only too well that when it comes to some of these diseases, no child is safe until every child is safe. Ahead of the Gavi replenishment conference in June, the call for additional funding cannot be…

NEW YORK, , 25 April 2020 –, As the world waits desperately for a vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to surge across the globe. Millions of children are in danger of missing life-saving vaccines against measles, diphtheria and polio due to disruptions in immunization services. At last count, most countries had suspended mass polio campaigns and 25 countries had…, Top ten high-income countries where children not vaccinated with the first measles vaccine dose 2010 - 2018, 1. United States: 2,868,000 2. France: 680,000 3. United Kingdom:585,000 4. Italy:  482,000 5. Japan:  386,000 6. Canada:  363,000 7. Germany:  195,000 8. Australia:  155,000 9. Chile: 155,000 10. Spain:  141,000   An estimated 182 million children missed out on the first dose of the measles vaccine between 2010 and 2018, or 20.3 million children…, Africa, more children have missed out on vaccines over the past years due to rising number of births and a stagnation in immunization services. For example, in West and Central Africa, coverage has stagnated at 70 per cent for DTP3 – which is the lowest among all regions – at 70 per cent for polio, and at 71 per cent for measles. This has led to…, Sustain immunization services while keeping health workers and communities safe;  ,  , Start planning to ramp up vaccinations for every missed child when the pandemic ends;   Fully replenish Gavi, as the alliance supports immunization programmes in the future;   Ensure that when the COVID-19 vaccine is available, it reaches those most in need.   “Children missing out now on vaccines must not go their whole lives without protection…, Notes to Editors:, Photos, b-roll and regional profiles are available here ., About the Analysis, The analysis is based on  UNICEF and WHO’s estimation of national immunization coverage of 194 countries and the State of Palestine for 2018. After 00.01 GMT 25 April, read the regional profiles here including for West and Central Africa , Eastern and Southern Africa , Middle East and North Africa , Latin America and the Caribbean , South Asia ,…, About World Immunization Week, Celebrated in the last week of April,  World Immunization Week  aims to promote the use of vaccines. For UNICEF’s work immunization, visit https://www.unicef.org/immunization A small, colorfully -dressed baby gets a vaccine shot. UNICEF/UN058144/Vishwanathan An Auxiliary Nurse Midwife administers polio drops and vaccination to pregnant women and…

Adama Traoré lives in the village of Sadiola, in the Kayes region of Mali in the west of the country. He has been working as a vaccinator in the community health centre of Sadiola for more than 10 years. "When I was young, we had poor neighbours. One day, one of their kids suddenly started to get pimples on his body, red eyes and a high fever. He…

UNICEF is a founding partner of the Gavi Alliance, one of four permanent Gavi board members, and a strategic partner within the Alliance. UNICEF’s work with Gavi has been highly synergistic, enabling the partnership to expand its reach. Download file (PDF, 1,57 MB)

5 December 2019, – Worldwide more than 140,000 people died from measles in 2018, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). These deaths occurred as measles cases surged globally, amidst devastating outbreaks in all regions. Most deaths were among children under 5…, Poorest countries hardest hit but measles remains a staggering global challenge, Estimating the total number of cases and deaths globally and by region, the report finds that the worst impacts of measles were in sub-Saharan Africa, where many children have persistently missed out on vaccination. In 2018, the most affected countries – the countries with the highest incidence rate of the disease – were Democratic Republic of the…, Investment and commitment needed to ensure effective measles response, The Measles & Rubella Initiative (M&RI) – which includes the American Red Cross, CDC, UNICEF, the United Nations Foundation and WHO – as well as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are helping countries respond to measles outbreaks, such as through emergency vaccination campaigns. In addition to rapidly immunizing against measles, outbreak…, The Measles & Rubella Initiative, M&RI is a global partnership founded by the American Red Cross, the CDC, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF and WHO, that is committed to achieving and maintaining a world without measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome. Founded in 2001, the Initiative has helped vaccinate over 2.9 billion children and save over 21 million lives by…, Note to editors, ‘Progress Toward Regional Measles Elimination — Worldwide, 2000-2017’ is a joint publication of WHO and CDC. It is published within the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record and in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Measles elimination is defined as the absence of endemic measles virus transmission in a region or other defined geographical…, About the estimates, These estimates are the result of statistical modeling undertaken by WHO. Each year, the model is adjusted for the entire time series – from 2000 to the current year. This year’s modelling shows that there were 9,769,400 estimated measles cases and 142,300 related deaths globally in 2018, decreasing from 28,219,100 cases and 535,600 deaths in 2000…, More information, Read UNICEF's fact sheet that provides more information about measles cases in 2018 and 2019, as well as the latest on the 5 countries that accounted for almost half of all measles cases worldwide in 2018: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Liberia, Madagascar, Somalia and Ukraine., Measles information, • WHO factsheet (this will be updated on December 5th) • CDC measles pages Latest WHO measles surveillance data The Measles & Rubella Initiative

NEW YORK, 18 April 2019, – UNICEF is launching a new global campaign on 24 April to emphasize the power and safety of vaccines among parents and wider social media users. The campaign will run alongside World Immunization Week from 24 to 30 April to spread the message that together communities, including parents, can protect everyone through vaccines. #VaccinesWork has…, Notes to editors, Download photos and b-roll here , including the “Dangers” video, which is embargoed till 24 April. Learn more about the campaign here . For more information on UNICEF’s work on immunization, click here .   A girl takes a pill, Chad UNICEF/UN0295228/Frank Dejongh