Amman, Jordan | AFP | UN agencies warned Monday that the coronavirus pandemic could lead to the deaths of an additional 51,000 under-fives in the Middle East and North Africa by the end of the year. The World Health Organisation and United Nations children’s agency UNICEF said the disruption of essential health and nutrition services …
Read More »Uganda pledges USD 1 million to support vaccine programs in poor countries
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has pledged USD 1 million (3.7 billion Shillings) in funding for vaccine programmes in the world’s poorest countries. Uganda’s first-ever pledge to be given in installments until 2025, was announced at a Global Vaccines Summit attended by representatives from 52 countries including 35 …
Read More »UN chief backs global access to ‘people’s vaccine’ for coronavirus
London, United Kingdom | AFP | United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said a new vaccine against the coronavirus had to be available to everyone across the world, as an international conference got under way to raise funds for new life-saving treatments. The virtual meeting, hosted by Britain, aims …
Read More »Millions at risk from known diseases as focus shifts to COVID-19
Paris, France | AFP | As COVID-19 deaths climb ever higher in Europe and the United States, millions of lives are at risk in developing nations where lockdowns and overwhelmed medical systems are disrupting vital testing, vaccination and treatment for other killer diseases. The pandemic has seen unprecedented social distancing measures, …
Read More »Grounded flights threaten routine vaccine supply: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Dozens of countries risk running out of vaccines for diseases like measles because of restrictions on flights brought in to tackle the new coronavirus, the United Nations warned on Friday. The UN children’s agency UNICEF called for support to unlock a massive backlog in …
Read More »WHO warns of neglecting vaccinations during pandemic
Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP | The World Health Organization’s European office warned Thursday that to keep other infectious diseases in check, vaccination programmes must remain a priority even during the coronavirus pandemic. The warning came as the UN body noted that while the spread of the novel coronavirus seemed to be “plateauing in western Europe, …
Read More »Lockdown affects routine immunization-UNEPI
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The current lockdown has led to a decline in the number of parents taking their children for routine immunisation, the Uganda National Expanded Programme on Immunisation-UNEPI has revealed. According to UNEPI, although they often record low numbers of children during the routine immunisation, the situation …
Read More »Health Minister warns against sabotaging immunization campaign
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister of Health Ruth Aceng has warned cultural and religious leaders against sabotaging the mass immunisation exercise against measles and rubella. The exercise startet today across the country and is targeting 18 million children from nine months to 15 years. Speaking at the …
Read More »Four European states lose measles eradication status as cases soar: WHO
Copenhagen, Denmark | AFP | Measles cases are skyrocketing in Europe and the disease is surging in four countries previously considered to have eliminated it, including the UK, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday, urging countries to step up vaccination efforts. “Re-establishment of measles transmission is concerning. If high immunisation …
Read More »What vaccines does your child really need?
With new vaccines coming at increasing prices, parents are facing tough choices The numbers of children receiving vaccinations in Uganda is up and the government’s recent move to pass a law criminalising anti-immunisation sentiments appears to be partly behind the surge. The increasing popularity of vaccination has experts like Dr. …
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