Tagged: immunization

A child holding an adult's hand looks on at a man opening a box on the floor labeled: End Polio Now.

Crossing the finish line for polio eradication in Afghanistan

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Story also available in: العربية
99.9 per cent We are almost there! We can see the finish line – the goal we have been pursuing for so long –  a world without polio. Over the last three decades, there has been a 99.9% decrease in wild poliovirus cases across the globe. How? The world came together. From parents to governments, community leaders to the United… Read more →←
A boy receiving a drop of vaccine on his tongue.

Polio and me: a Syrian doctor’s story

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Story also available in: Français 中文
I was seven months old when my mother took me to see a doctor in Suran, my hometown. I had a high fever, and she had noticed weakness in both my legs. It was then that I was diagnosed with polio. Polio is a highly contagious disease that attacks the nervous system. It can cause paralysis or even death among young children. While the… Read more →←
A girl in a blue shirt smiles as she receives a vaccination from a health worker

The sad inevitability of Ukraine’s measles outbreak

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An outbreak of measles in Ukraine is rapidly spreading. This year there have been 1,000 cases; that’s 20 times higher than the whole of last year, with measles reported among children, adolescents and adults in 14 of the country’s 24 provinces. Sadly, this latest outbreak doesn’t come as a surprise. According to 2016 data from the… Read more →←
Woman stands behind three little girls, each of whom holds a yellow card

How an Angolan community leader fights measles

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Story also available in: Español
Lubango, capital of Huíla province, was heavily affected by the drought caused by El Niño last year. As part of the response, UNICEF Angola supported an integrated vaccination program to prevent measles outbreaks in three southern provinces (Cunene, Huíla, and Namibe). In the tiny village of Luyovo, about 30 km from Lubango, we found… Read more →←
A young child getting a vaccine.

Immunization under fire

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Story also available in: العربية Français 中文
In conflict-affected regions, children miss out on life-saving vaccines Anyone with access to a TV, or even a smartphone has unlimited access to images of the destruction that armed conflict causes around the globe. We can see details of the ways war and violence threaten and disrupt children’s lives. But conflict also attacks the… Read more →←
The face of a young woman receiving an injection.

Yellow fever in Angola shows vaccine funding is critical

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Story also available in: Español
Angola was declared polio-free by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December – a public health triumph. It set the stage for a similar declaration in Nigeria, a major landmark in the global battle against this disabling disease. But while Angolan officials are rightly proud of the declaration, the recent yellow fever… Read more →←
A group of children and a man.

My journey to Yemen’s battle zones

Children in emergencies

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As a UNICEF Immunization Specialist in Yemen, I was recently sent to Sa’ada, an area (or Governorate) already devastated by internal wars since 2004, further deteriorated by the ongoing conflict since March 2015 – the worst recorded in the region’s history. Government offices, religious institutions, residences and schools have all… Read more →←
Children in school uniforms after a group vaccination.

Reasons to be optimistic about ending polio

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Story also available in: Español Français
Thirty years ago, there were over 350,000 cases of wild polio virus each year. In 2014, there were just 359 and so far this year, only 51. That’s a 99.9 percent decrease, a truly remarkable accomplishment. Earlier this year, Nigeria – which in 2012 recorded 122 cases of paralysis and was considered one of the most difficult… Read more →←
UNICEF staff visit a health center where children were being vaccinated against preventable diseases for the first time in 2015.

Vaccinating children across Yemen

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Story also available in: العربية Español 中文
I have been part of vaccination campaigns in some tough places, but nothing can prepare you for the devastation in Yemen. A brutal conflict that escalated in March is ravaging the country and I have come to support our team here. It is early morning as we head out to a UNICEF-supported health centre in Sana’a. You can see the fear in… Read more →←

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