GENEVA, 23 April 2021 , —The second round of a World Health Organization “pulse survey“ reveals that over one year into the COVID-19 pandemic, substantial disruptions persist, with about 90% of countries still reporting one or more disruptions to essential health services, marking no substantial global change since the first survey conducted in the summer of 2020. Within…, In the first 3 months of 2021, however, they reported progress, with just over one third of services now being disrupted., Overcoming disruptions, Countries have been working to mitigate disruptions. Many have now stepped up communications efforts to inform the public about changes to service delivery and provide advice about ways to safely seek health care. They are also triaging to identify and better meet the most urgent patient needs. More than half the countries consulted say they have…, Persisting causes of disruptions, Countries are still having to make important decisions when responding to COVID-19 that may negatively affect access to care for other health issues. Redeployment of staff to provide COVID-19 relief and temporary closures of health facilities and services continue. Although they may have taken on new staff, 66% of countries continue to report…, Note to editors, This survey looks at 63 core health services across delivery platforms and health areas. It was sent to 216 countries and territories across the six WHO regions. 135 responses were received (63% response rate) from senior ministry of health officials predominantly between January and March 2021. The responses referred to the situation in the…

LONDON/ NEW YORK, 11 November 2020, – Severe pneumonia leaves an estimated 4.2 million children under the age of five in 124 low- and middle-income countries with critically low oxygen levels each year, new analysis from UNICEF, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Save the Children and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) has revealed. [i] The agencies say the COVID-19…, COVID-19 Respiratory Care Response Coordination, project to support countries in the development and execution respiratory care plan to meet the demands of COVID-19.   [i] Estimate generated by Save the Children, UNICEF and CHAI with a panel of experts, based on published data on the proportion of hospitalized children with pneumonia who are diagnosed as hypoxemic, which we estimate to average…

NEW YORK, 30 September 2020 –,  "UNICEF is proud to be part of this historic initiative. “Three decades ago, we led the universal child immunization initiative. “Today, with our partners — and thanks to dedicated frontline workers and volunteers worldwide — we deliver nearly 2.5 billion doses of vaccines every year. “We’ve built an incredible track record of scaling new…, supply side, , securing more than two billion doses of vaccine by 2021 will require every ounce of UNICEF’s strengths and expertise in market-shaping and strategic procurement.    “We’re working with WHO and local partners to help prepare governments to receive and deliver a COVID-19 vaccine. “Even before the pandemic, with our friends at GAVI, we invested…, demand side, , we must build confidence and trust in vaccines and in the health systems delivering them. “The pandemic has brought to light the lingering challenges of mistrust, misinformation and rumours around vaccines — their safety and effectiveness. “Our teams on the ground are reporting that baseless rumours about the COVID-19 vaccine are eroding trust…

NEW YORK/ GENEVA, 9 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…, Download photos, broll, the full child mortality estimates report and data files, here, .,   For the UNICEF survey on disruptions due to COVID-19,, click here, ., Explore the child mortality data: , 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/, About UN IGME, The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation or UN IGME was formed in 2004 to share data on child mortality, improve methods for child mortality estimation, report on progress towards child survival goals and enhance country capacity to produce timely and properly assessed estimates of child mortality. UN IGME is led by…

Geneva/ New York, 16 June 2020, – Lower-income countries across the world will now be able to access life-saving pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, which protect against the leading cause of pneumonia, for US$ 2 per dose, thanks to a new supply agreement between UNICEF, Gavi’s procurement partner, and the Serum Institute of India (SII). The new price represents a 43 per cent…, Notes to editors, Download photos and b-roll here .  , 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 to immunise a whole generation – over 760 million children – and prevented more than 13 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73…

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.  

ADEN/SANAA, 30 May 2020, —In response to the increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 in Yemen, a UNICEF chartered plane landed at Sana’a airport on Saturday 30 May with lifesaving supplies to help curb the spread of the disease in the conflict-hit country. The supplies are a range of medical assistance, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) items such as …

NEW YORK, 13 MAY 2020, – An additional 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes over the next six months as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weaken health systems and disrupt routine services, UNICEF said today. The estimate is based on an analysis by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, newly published in The Lancet…, Reimagine #Reimagine, , a global campaign to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from becoming a lasting crisis for children, especially the most vulnerable children – such as those affected by poverty, exclusion or family violence. Through the campaign, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, the public, donors and the private sector to join UNICEF as we seek to…, Respond., We must act now to stop the disease from spreading, help the sick, and protect first responders on the frontlines risking their own lives to save others., Recover., Even when the pandemic slows, each country will have to continue to work to mitigate the knock-on effects on children and address the damage inflicted. Communities will also have to work together, and across borders to rebuild and prevent a return of the disease., Reimagine., If we have learned anything from COVID-19, it’s that our systems and policies must protect people, all the time, not just in the event of a crisis. As the world recovers from the pandemic, now is the time to lay the groundwork for building back better. To kickstart the campaign, two of UNICEF’s valued partners -, Pandora, and, ING, - have both agreed to pledge a generous donation to show their part in answering the call to this appeal and to spur more donations from the public in the coming weeks. “The COVID-19 crisis is a child rights crisis. We need an immediate-, medium- and long-term response that not only addresses the challenges created by the pandemic and its…, Download photos, broll and, the paper, here, .  Review the, data for 118 countries here, ., The paper will go live in the Lancet Global Health journal on 12 May, 23.30 UK time: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(20)30229-1/fulltext   Learn about the #Reimagine campaign here: www.unicef.org/reimagine The authors of the Lancet Global Health study used the Lives Saved Tool (LiST) to model maternal and under-five…, About UNICEF’s Covid-19 Programme and Advocacy Response, The response is built around a six-point Agenda for Action that supports Governments and calls on decision-makers to: Keep children healthy and well nourished Reach vulnerable children with water, sanitation and hygiene Keep children learning Support families to cover their needs and care for their children Protect children from violence,…

GENEVA, 1 May 2020 – “, UNICEF is calling for support to unlock a massive backlog in vaccine shipments due to unprecedented logistical constraints related to COVID-19 mitigation measures including lockdowns in some countries. “In 2019, UNICEF procured 2.43 billion doses of vaccines for 100 countries, to reach approximately 45 per cent of all children below five years old…

GENEVA, 28 April 2020, – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has urgently made US$ 40 million available to UNICEF to secure personal protective equipment (PPE), diagnostic tests and other vital supplies on behalf of 58 low and lower-middle-income countries as they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, Gavi has made up to US$ 200 million available to help countries respond…