One-year-old Kristelle is one of the first children under five years to receive her vaccination since the newly renovated national vaccine storage was handed over to the Government of Vanuatu in June this year.
The renovation of Vanuatu’s national vaccine storage facility marks another significant milestone in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases.
The Government of Vanuatu, with the support of the Government and People of Japan, the Australian Government and UNICEF, formally reopened the renovated Vanuatu National Vaccine Storage facility in June this year.
The facility now meets World Health Organisation minimum requirements for vaccine storage, supporting effective delivery of much-needed vaccines to children under the age of 5. The upgraded facility now greatly enhances the Ministry of Health’s vaccination services in the event of epidemic outbreaks, whilst providing a strong base from which to deliver routine vaccination.
Immunisation of children under 5 years of age to protect them against vaccine-preventable illnesses is a critical area of UNICEF’s support to the Government of Vanuatu. It has been proven time and again to be one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, one that saves lives.
The USD $439,000 upgrade of the National Vaccine Storage was generously supported by the Government and the People of Japan. The USD $48,000 renovation of the Shefa vaccine storage facility was supported by the Australian Government.
The National Vaccine Storage at George Pompidou in the short term will benefit 25,000 children below the age of 5 years. In the longer term the investment will serve the entire population of Vanuatu – some 267,000 people.
For Kristelle, when she got vaccinated she also received a free t-shirt. Her mother said, “The shirt is great. It encourages mothers and fathers to make sure their children complete all of their vaccines at the right age”. Until the end of this year babies in Port Vila receiving their last vaccination at one year of age will receive a free t-shirt as part of the Ministry of Health’s pilot incentive-based approach to increase vaccination coverage throughout Vanuatu.









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