"MEASLES"

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Wrapping up a two-day visit to Herat, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, Hervé Ludovic De Lys, and WFP Afghanistan Representative and Country Director, Mary-Ellen McGroarty, sounded the alarm on the dire state of malnutrition and food insecurity sweeping across the country. UNICEF

Noon briefing by Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

Measles vaccination supplies were prepared for transportation from the Herat city warehouse to Ghor province Department of Health on Sunday. 30,000 doses of the vaccine in addition to 60,000 doses of vitamin A in addition to syringes were provided to Mobile Health & Nutrition Teams in three districts in Ghor reaching more than 3,400 children under-five. UNICEF

UNICEF Representative Herve Ludovic de Lys, chief of Health Programme, Dick Chamla, and Health Specialist, Mohammad Nafi Kakar, visited malnutrition and pre-term wards at the Ataturk children’s hospital in Kabul on Sunday. UNICEF

According to official data published today by WHO and UNICEF, 23 million children missed out on basic vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 - 3.7 million more than in 2019. UNICEF

The head of WHO’s Essential Programme on Immunization, Dr Ann Lindstrand, said the COVID-19 pandemic has “set us back a decade when it comes to the progress reached by childhood immunization.” WHO

“UNHCR is extremely worried about the latest developments inside Tigray,” Ethiopia, while the WHO said the conditions inside the region are “a recipe for larger epidemics,” due to displacement and crippled health services, agencies’ spokespersons warned on Tuesday. UNTV CH

UNICEF, WFP and WHO are extremely concerned about the situation in Tigray region where the risk of famine is imminent, unless food, livelihood assistance and other life-saving intervention continue to be scaled, unimpeded access is guaranteed, and hostilities cease. UNTV CH

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated all involved in bringing an end to the 12th Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and stressed the need for continued vigilance to prevent a return of the disease and in containing other health challenges. WHO