Global

RIYADH, 28 APRIL 2024 - Today, at the first-ever World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting hosted in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has pledged US $500 million over the next five years to support the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). This announcement marks a significant increase in funding for the global effort to…

Since 1988, the number of children affected by polio has reduced by 99 per cent. While the end of polio is within reach, immunization efforts can easily be derailed by the rapid spread of vaccine misinformation, putting vulnerable children at risk.  Take for example Pakistan, one of just two countries where polio remains endemic, where fake videos…, The polio ‘listening post’, “Social listening is like a disease surveillance system, but instead of the virus, we track and analyze polio misinformation. Using cutting-edge digital media and tools we collect and analyze publicly available data on polio and vaccines across social media, digital media, broadcast news and print media platforms,” says Adnan Shahzad, the Digital…, Clear and accurate messaging, “What we say must be accurate and easy to understand for everyone,” says Soterine Tsanga, Polio Outbreak Response SBC specialist with UNICEF, who is also involved in the roll out of DCE to countries. “When there’s a polio outbreak, our goal is to respond swiftly to reach children with vaccination and stop further spread of the virus. We cannot…, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A photo of a mother holding her baby paired with text stating that vaccinations are the best way to fight polio. Polio vaccination messaging - Digital Community Engagement, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF Graphic showing a smiling child next to text accurate messaging on polio Digital Community Engagement social media graphic - Polio paralysis, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A graphic shows a young girl in a yellow shit next to positive messaging on polio. Digital Community Engagement social media graphic - Polio WHO, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A polio awareness graphic showing facts, cartoon droplets, and a photo of a young child. Polio vaccination social campaign content. UNICEF, Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A green cut-out style graphic showing a photo of a child receiving a vaccination alongside accurate information about vaccine safety. Polio vaccine information social graphic DCE, UNICEF., Examples of accurate polio vaccine messaging created for digital sharing., UNICEF A graphic shows a photo of a child next to text that states the benefits of vaccination. A photo of a mother holding her baby paired with text stating that vaccinations are the best way to fight polio. Graphic showing a smiling child next to text accurate messaging on polio A graphic shows a young girl in a yellow shit next to positive…, Digital volunteers quash rumours, Mariama, a digital social mobilizer in Dakar, looks at her phone and laptop screens. Mariama, a 20 years old digital social mobilizer working with UNICEF in Dakar, shares polio information, tracks misinformation, and responds to questions about polio. A big part of UNICEF’s social behaviour change work for polio eradication involves engaging local…, Local outreach and digital engagement, Digital Community Engagement enables countries to bridge the gap between their on-the-groundwork and digital communities, while fostering trust in childhood immunization. Pakistan’s polio eradication programme has managed several misinformation crises. In October 2022, a Facebook post falsely claimed that a child had died after receiving the polio…, More opportunities ahead, While there has been tremendous progress in getting the social listening and misinformation alert systems up and running, there is always more to do. DCE is now focused on strengthening local misinformation response teams while continuing to engage online communities through digital volunteers.  For Gulzar Ahmed Khan, a 28-year-old polio social…

BRUSSELS, 11 October 2023 – Today, the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a new financing partnership to address critical global health opportunities: eradicating polio and ensuring that innovations in health are more accessible to the people who need them most. The World Health…

NEW YORK, 11 October 2023 – "Good afternoon, it is good to be with you for this exciting announcement. "Polio eradication is finally within reach, thanks to the tremendous generosity of our partners and their support for the heroic efforts of health workers and community influencers in communities around the world.   "But the progress we have made…

It started one summer evening late in 2021 in Ngwenya, an area on the outskirts of Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital. A then 3-year-old little girl complained to her grandmother, who is her caregiver, that her right hand and arm were feeling hot and making her feel uncomfortable. Her grandmother did her best to comfort the child overnight and took her to…

Shalu Vishal Kale and her family live under an overpass in the bustling community of Bandra, in Mumbai. She sells flowers at traffic stops, earning about $5 USD a day.  Shyam Vishal Kale , 2, is seen with Lovely, his cousin. These children, along with their families, came to Mumbai to earn a living. Shyam Vishal Kale , 2, with Lovely, his cousin,…

There was a time when Halima would have set the dog on any polio worker who arrived at her door with vaccines for her grandchildren. But Saima Gul was not any polio worker. For two years, Saima visited Halima’s home in Gujro, on the outskirts of Karachi. She brought medicines and mosquito nets as gifts. She spoke to Halima in Pashto, the language…

BERLIN, 18 October 2022 – Today, global leaders confirmed US$ 2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI)  2022-2026 Strategy  to end polio at a pledging moment co-hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the World Health Summit in Berlin. The funding will support…

27 May 2022 Extraordinary advances have been made in the effort to eradicate wild polio in just a generation. The number of children paralyzed by the virus has decreased by 99 per cent since 1988.   There is no cure for polio. It can only be prevented. That prevention comes from a vaccine, which can protect a child for life. And still to this day…, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last countries where polio remains endemic. Beginning with Pakistan, where do things stand in terms of the effort to eradicate wild polio there?   , Pakistan saw a landmark achievement earlier this year. In January, the country went an entire year without detection of a single case of wild polio. It was a significant milestone in the nation’s effort to eradicate the disease.  But the fight is certainly not over. In April and May, there were four confirmed cases of wild polio, in what’s a…, In Afghanistan, the country’s health systems have been on the brink of collapse. What does that mean when it comes to protecting children from polio?  , Over the past year, the situation for children in Afghanistan has become even more desperate. Conflict, drought and the pandemic have collided to create an unprecedented humanitarian emergency. The country’s health systems are collapsing under that strain. That’s putting millions of children at high risk of polio and other potentially deadly…, Africa was declared free of wild polio in 2020 after Nigeria achieved zero wild polio cases. But some cases of wild polio are now emerging on the continent again. What’s happening?  , Late last year, a case of wild polio was detected in a girl in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe. The virus has affected the nerve cells in her spinal cord, and consequently her ability to walk. It’s the first case of wild polio in Africa in five years, and the first case of wild polio in Malawi in more than three decades.   Months later, in May, a case…, Wild polio isn’t the only concern. There’s a variant, which has been driving cases globally. What is this variant and how concerning is it?   , That’s right, there has been a rise in polio variants. It’s important to note that the world has been gaining a lot of ground in the effort to eradicate the wild polio virus. But at the same time, we’re seeing a rise in what’s called circulating vaccine derived polio outbreaks. These are non-wild variants of the polio virus. In the past three…, It seems like we’re in a precarious position and at a pivotal moment. Advances continue to be made to eradicate polio, but clearly there are still real concerns. What’s UNICEF doing to respond?  , The vast majority of countries in the world are free of polio. But as long as the polio virus exists, anywhere, no child in the world is safe from this debilitating disease. The virus knows no borders. And the recent emergence of polio outbreaks proves that. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative predicts that if polio isn’t eradicated imminently…

GENEVA, 26 April 2022 – Today, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced that it is seeking new commitments to fund its 2022-2026 Strategy at a virtual event to launch its investment case. The strategy, if fully funded, will see the vaccination of 370 million children annually for the next five years and the continuation of global…

NEW YORK, 24 April 2022 – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Liam Neeson is leading UNICEF’s global immunization initiative with a global message thanking the scientists, parents, health workers and others who have been so critical in helping to immunize children over the last two decades.   In a video released ahead of World Immunization Week , Neeson…

Lilongwe, 20 March 2022 – More than nine million children are to be vaccinated against polio in the first round of a mass campaign across four countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, after an outbreak was confirmed in Malawi.   The drive, led by governments, with the support of UNICEF and partners, was launched today in Malawi, and will be…