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UNICEF provides nearly half of world's children with vaccines

NEW YORK, April 26 (KUNA) -- The UN International Children's Fund (UNICEF) procured 2.5 billion doses of life-saving vaccines to children in nearly 100 countries in 2016, reaching almost half of the world's children under the age of five.
The figures released during World Immunization Week, make UNICEF the largest buyer of vaccines for children in the world, the Fund said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the three remaining polio-endemic countries, each received more doses of vaccines than any other country," it added. Therefore, UNICEF is the lead procurement agency for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Access to immunization has led to a dramatic decrease in deaths of children under five from vaccine-preventable diseases, and has brought the world closer to eradicating polio. Between 2000 and 2015, UNICEF said under five deaths due to measles declined by 85 percent and those due to neonatal tetanus by 83 percent. A proportion of the 47 percent reduction in pneumonia deaths and 57 percent reduction in diarrhea deaths in this time is also attributed to vaccines. Yet an estimated 19.4 million children around the world still miss out on full vaccinations every year. The Agency then confirmed in its press release that around two thirds of all unvaccinated children live in conflict-affected countries. "Weak health systems, poverty and social inequities also mean that 1 in 5 children under five is still not reached with life-saving vaccines," it added.
According to UNICEF's Chief of Immunization Dr. Robin Nancy, all children, no matter where they live or what their circumstances are, have the right to survive and thrive, safe from deadly diseases.
"Since 1990, immunization has been a major reason for the substantial drop in child mortality, but despite this progress, 1.5 million children still die from vaccine preventable diseases every year," Nandy added.
By 2030, an estimated 1 in 4 people will live in urban poor communities, mainly in Africa and Asia, meaning the focus and investment of immunization services must be tailored to the specific needs of these communities and children, UNICEF said.(end) mao.gb