The Brazilian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Butantã Institute in São Paulo, will start the production of around 17 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine in October 2009. The vaccines will be available at the beginning of 2010. PAHO
More than 30 parliamentarians from 14 Latin American countries gathered this past week in Costa Rica to discuss the role of parliaments in combating one of the region’s most serious social problems – violence against children. The trip included a visit to a UNICEF-supported initiative that helps vulnerable children. UNICEF
Ahead of a UN-sponsored conference on disarmament for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Mexico City next week, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Sergio Duarte notes that “thousands of nuclear weapons capable of destroying entire cities” still remain in arsenals around the world. UNTV
More children drown in flood-prone Bangladesh than anywhere else in the world. 17,000 Bangladeshi children die each year simply because they cannot swim. With more extreme weather patterns, flooding and rising sea-levels expected because of climate change, UNICEF and partners are in a race against time to teach more Bangladeshi children to save their own [...]