UNICEF & Merck Partner to Protect 100,000 Children and Young People Against Mump...(havingcontracted the disease in educatio...),Health

Vaccination efforts to date have yielded immediate results and the number of mumps cases has dropped significantly. A total of 317,725 of children have been vaccinated, and all vaccines have been distributed for the campaign. According to officials at the National Centre for Preventive Medicine, last week 100 cases of mumps were registered in the country compared to 2,351 cases in April. The spread of the infection is particularly reduced in the capital city of Chisinau and the regions of Balti and Ungheni.

UNICEF has helped respond to this epidemic in many ways. Last month UNICEF delivered 210,000 booster shots against mumps to Moldova's National Centre for Preventive Medicine. The boosters were purchased with World Bank funds. This delivery took place after the government requested support from the international community in order to purchase 600,000 booster shots necessary to eradicate a mumps epidemic that has been ravaging the country.

Moldova is a country with an area of 13,000 square miles, slightly larger than the state of Maryland. It is bordered on the west by Romania, on the east by Ukraine and on the south by the Black Sea.

About UNICEF

For more than 60 years, UNICEF has been the world's leading international children's organization, working in over 150 countries to address the ongoing issues that affect why kids are dying. UNICEF provides lifesaving nutrition, clean water, education, protection and emergency response saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. While millions of children die every year of preventable causes like dehydration, upper respiratory infections and measles, UNICEF, with the support of partnering organizations and donors alike, has the global experience, resources and reach to give children the best hope of survival. For more information about UNICEF, please visit '/>"/>