Health

What are vaccines?, Vaccines are products that are usually given in childhood to protect against serious, often deadly diseases. By stimulating your body’s natural defenses, they prepare your body to fight the disease faster and more effectively.  , How do vaccines work?, Vaccines help your immune system fight infections more efficiently by sparking your immune response to specific diseases. Then, if the virus or bacteria ever invades your body in the future, your immune system will already know how to fight it.  , Are vaccines safe?, Vaccines are very safe. Your child is far more likely to be hurt by a vaccine-preventable disease than by a vaccine.   All vaccines go through rigorous safety testing, including clinical trials, before they are approved for the public. Countries will only register and distribute vaccines that meet rigorous quality and safety standards.  , Why should I vaccinate my child?, Vaccines save lives. Measles vaccines alone are estimated to have prevented over 21 million deaths between 2000 and 2017. Vaccines will help protect your child against diseases that can cause serious harm or death, especially in people with developing immune systems like infants. It’s important to vaccinate your child. If not, highly contagious…, Can my baby handle all of these vaccines?, Yes. Many parents worry that multiple vaccines will overload their child’s immune system. But children are exposed to hundreds of germs every day. In fact, a common cold or sore throat will put a greater burden on your child’s immune system than vaccines.  , But these diseases are not present in my community. Do I still need to vaccinate my child?, Yes. Although the diseases may be eliminated in your country or region, our increasingly interconnected world means that these diseases could spread from areas where they are still present.  , What is herd immunity?, If enough people in your community are immunized against a certain disease, you can reach something called herd immunity. When this happens, diseases can’t spread easily from person to person because most people are immune. This provides a layer of protection against the disease even for those who cannot be vaccinated, such as infants. Herd…, Can a vaccine cause my baby to get sick?, Vaccines are extremely safe and serious side effects are rare. Almost all sickness or discomfort after vaccination is minor and temporary, such as a soreness at the injection site or mild fever. These can often be controlled by taking over-the-counter pain medication as advised by a doctor, or applying a cold cloth to the injection site. If…, What diseases do vaccines prevent?, Vaccines protect your child against serious illnesses like polio, which can cause paralysis; measles, which can cause brain swelling and blindness; and tetanus, which can cause painful muscle contractions and difficulty eating and breathing, especially in newborns. For a list of the most common vaccines and the diseases they prevent, see this list…, Can I delay the vaccine schedule?, One of the best ways you can protect your child is to follow the recommended vaccine schedule in your country. Any time you delay a vaccine, you’re increasing your child’s vulnerability to disease.  , Can I let my child get the chickenpox instead of getting the vaccine?, Although chickenpox is a mild disease that many parents will remember from childhood (the vaccine was introduced in 1995), some children will develop serious cases with complications that can be fatal or cause permanent disabilities. The vaccine eliminates the risk of complications from the disease, and prevents children from infecting their…, What is the recommended vaccine schedule?, Immunization schedules vary by country depending on which diseases are most prevalent. You can find an overview of the recommended vaccines and approximate dates from your local health centre, doctor or your government’s Ministry of Health.   >> Learn more about vaccines

Elevate your knowledge and skills on caring for children with childhood wasting. Are you a healthcare provider, manager, or technical staff looking to enhance your competence in caring for children with wasting? Your journey starts here. Enroll in our ‘Care for Children with Wasting’ e-learning course to unlock the latest and best practice…

Generations of change. , For 75 years UNICEF has been an unstoppable force for change in children’s lives. From short-term relief to long-term development programmes, we have been working tirelessly to save children’s lives, protect their rights and secure their futures.  Just as when UNICEF was born in 1946, today the world faces multiple crises, with the most…, The Wisdom Project, Like the conditions that created UNICEF out of the ashes of World War II, 2021 finds us at a moment when the lessons from the past can give us insights into how we respond to a COVID-19 world in the present and reimagine the future. We reached out to elders and youth in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippines and Lao PDR to get an insight into…

The world as we know it has changed., In the space of just a few months, COVID-19 has unleashed itself with alarming speed, leaving no continent or country untouched. In East Asia and the Pacific, home to 2.2 billion people, COVID-19 has further pummelled families already struggling to put food on the table and educate their children. It has turned upside down the lives of those who…, What will that world look like?, Our COVID-19 blueprint for action: Recover, Rebound and Reimagine , may help shape the answer. It argues that we shouldn't simply be using this moment to roll back to what was. We must be bold and reimagine what a better future could be like for every child., Please join us. Let’s unite in our efforts to recover, rebound, and reimagine a stronger future for every child., Karin Hulshof, Regional Director, UNICEF East Asia & Pacific, #NotGoingBack, Recover, Rebound, Reimagine, Report cover   UNICEF predicts that an additional 22 million children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific could fall into poverty in 2020 because of the socio-economic impact of the pandemic. It is up to all of us to ensure that the hard-won gains achieved for children in the areas of health, education and protection are not only defended, but built…, The impacts of COVID-19 on children & families, What would you leave behind?, View this post on Instagram A post shared by 최시원 • Siwon Choi (@siwonchoi) Join us and Siwon Choi by sharing your messages online, using #NotGoingBack, to tell the world what you want to leave behind.  Use our stickers by searching 'notgoingback' and tag us!       Special thanks to  Indochina Starfish Foundation and Aide et Action . 

Handwashing saves lives. Discussions around handwashing have recently sky rocketed due to the Coronavirus but a critical gap has been noted in efforts to communicate about the virus and stop the spread, namely that no handwashing emoji exists. Emoji has become a key part of our language. It is how friends communicate via chat and how businesses…

UNICEF Office in Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) transferred nine ambulances equipped with spare parts to the Ministry of Public Health on 11 September 2019 for County Hospitals in nine convergence counties. The ambulances are an essential part of the Maternal, Child Health and Newborn Care Programme that UNICEF is working…

Our work in the region, Stretching from Mongolia in the North to Tonga in the South, the East Asia & Pacific office covers one of the most diverse and dynamic areas in world. Each year around 30 million children are born and UNICEF is there to help protect and promote their rights.  girls jumping together in the Philippines, Adolescents, Children holding hands in the Philippines, Child protection, Silvina Barreto (Middle), is attending preschool at Si-Rui Suco Laubonu, Ermera Municipality, Timor-Leste., Children's rights and business, A child with a physical impairment, sits next to his best friend, a child with a visual impairment, Children with disabilities, Children outside their UNICEF-supported school in Timor-Leste, Education, Makelesi, 7, standing in destoryed library of Nabau District School in Ra Province, Fiji after a cyclone, Emergencies, Girl in Fijian school raises her arm, Gender equality, A child is administered an oral vaccine during a routine immunization session at the health centre in the village of Preak Krabao, Kang Meas District, Cambodia, Health, A girl who is HIV-positive holds a teddy bear in Ruili City, Yunnan Province., HIV/AIDS, Kids smiling after their lunch in a kindergarten which is supported by UNICEF Mongolia’s nutrition programme in Nalaikh, district Ulaanbaatar, Nutrition, a mother and father with their baby in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Social policy, A girl smiles while drinking water at a water point in the village of Adone, Ta Oi District, Saravane Province. The village is home to the Pacoh ethnic group., Water, sanitation & hygiene, climate change, Environment and Climate Change, A girl taking her classes online while her mother works remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak, Digital Transformation, Two girls on a bicycle infront of their house, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, Emergencies, Rohingya Crisis, Thousands of Rohingya refugee children queue for aid at the Mainnerghona distribution center, Cox's Bazar, DPR Korea, a child in UNICEF-supported warm weather clothes in Northern DPR Korea