Protecting Children's Health
Lifesaving Child Immunization and Vaccination
UNICEF is a global leader in child immunization. The procurement of vaccines is UNICEF's largest procurement activity, worth $757 million in 2010. That year, UNICEF provided 2.5 billion doses of vaccines to 99 countries, reaching an estimated 58% of the world's children. UNICEF is improving transparency around vaccine supply by making vaccine prices available on its website.
Immunization is a key part of UNICEF's response to the crisis in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. Currently, UNICEF-supported vaccination teams are at work in full force in the Horn of Africa, where famine and a refugee crisis caused by severe drought and food insecurity has left hundreds of thousands of children vulnerable to killer diseases like measles and polio.
Through campaigns like The Eliminate Project, which aims to protect every woman of child-bearing age against maternal and neonatal tetanus by 2015, UNICEF is forging a path for improved holistic medical services for the world's most marginalized communities.
Malaria Prevention
Every 40 seconds a child dies of malaria. Nearly 90% of those deaths occur in Africa, accounting for 1 out of every 5 child deaths there.
UNICEF is the world's largest provider of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, which help protect families from malaria. Increased availability of bed nets and scaled-up global funding for malaria programs are helping reduce the malaria burden in many countries.
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.
Progress in child survival
The number of children under age 5 dying every day drops steadily every year. Four years ago, more than 25,000 children died daily of preventable causes and treatable diseases. Today, that number is 21,000. UNICEF and its partners have played a huge role in reducing the global under-5 mortality rate. Our target is zero children dying of causes we can prevent.
By investing in low-cost, effective programs addressing malnutrition, child vaccinations, basic hygiene and the importance of early breastfeeding for boosting immunity, UNICEF continues to fight the leading killers of children worldwide and improve every child's chance of surviving, no matter what the odds.
Support UNICEF's Child Health and Immunization Programs.
Related Children's Health, Immunization and Vaccination Links
April 10, 2012
Protecting children from measles in Yemen
Measles a highly contagious disease is threatening to become the main killer of children in Yemen. Left unchecked, the disease could escalate, causing more than 30,000 cases and 5,000 deaths annually. A UNICEF-supported campaign aims to vaccinate 7.9 million children under age 10 to curb a major measles outbreak in the country. The campaign will also administer polio immunization as well as vitamin A.
April 4, 2012
Fighting Polio through sports in Pakistan
Pakistan is one of the few areas in the world where children are still at risk of contracting polio. The disease, and the debilitating paralysis it causes, can be prevented with the oral polio vaccine, which lies at the heart of the global campaign to eliminate polio. With UNICEF support, the city of Karachi has just held its first 'United Against Polio' soccer tournament. The key to this approach is to bring communities together through enjoyable group activities, involving all residents in the task of eradicating polio.
February 3, 2012
UNICEF providing vaccines to children in Haiti's hardest-to-reach communities
UNICEF is implementing a program to ensure that every child in Haiti is immunized against diseases like polio, diphtheria, tetanus, and measles-rubella. The program, known as RED (Reach Every District), helps manage resources and link services with communities. RED also provides supportive supervision and monitoring for action. This approach will improve communication between communities and health workers, increasing vaccination coverage.
