Lifesaving Immunization for Children
Every since its first tuberculosis campaign in 1947, UNICEF has been a leader in global immunization. Today we provide vaccine to 40 percent of the world’s children and help save two million lives a year. But thousands of children still die needlessly every day from diseases like measles, polio, or tuberculosis. UNICEF is committed to vaccinating every single child against preventable childhood diseases.
When war or natural disaster strikes, we do whatever it takes to get children immunized. We help broker ceasefires so that we can enter a war-torn region and vaccinate its children. After a disaster, we go door-to-door in the remotest areas to distribute lifesaving vaccines.
Malaria Prevention and More
But protecting a child’s health goes beyond immunization. We are the world’s largest provider of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, which help protect families from malaria. We provide healthcare to young children and their mothers, to make sure that every child gets a healthy start in life.
UNICEF is especially dedicated to helping girls and women, who often suffer the biggest neglect. In Nicaragua, UNICEF supports over 40 maternal homes—safe places where young mothers-to-be can receive medical help and support. And in India, we provide taxis that bring pregnant women to a hospital who could otherwise not afford to go.
We are determined to stop the needless deaths of children from preventable disease. And we believe that all children deserve the healthiest possible start in life. Their future—and ours—depends on it.
Related Links
February 3, 2010
UNICEF launches massive immunization campaign in Haiti
For hundreds of thousands of families with children who lost everything in the earthquake, the fight for survival is not yet over. Children now face deadly diseases in cramped makeshift camps. UNICEF launched a massive immunization campaign this week to vaccinate thousands of children against fatal disease such as measles, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
February 1, 2010
A tremendous investment: $110 million to wipe out maternal and neonatal tetanus
UNICEF has been selected by Kiwanis International as a finalist for a Worldwide Service Project that could save millions of mothers and their newborn babies from a fatal, but preventable illness. Though the vaccine against tetanus is effective and affordable, hundreds of millions of pregnant women go without it, leaving their infants unprotected as well. As a result, every four minutes a baby dies of tetanus somewhere in the world.
January 11, 2010
Tetanus: a silent killer of mothers and newborns
Maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) kills thousands infants each year, but is totally preventable through immunization and hygienic birth practices. UNICEF and its partners are working to eliminate the disease in the 58 countries where it is still a public health problem.
