Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported that North Korea has launched its largest vaccination campaign since the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing vaccines provided by UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).
According to RFA, UNICEF announced in a press release that North Korean authorities began this nationwide vaccination campaign on Monday.
The campaign aims to reach 800,000 children who have not been vaccinated since 2021, along with 120,000 pregnant women.
In July, UNICEF supplied North Korea with 4 million doses of essential vaccines, including those for tuberculosis (BCG), hepatitis B, measles and rubella (MR), tetanus and diphtheria (Td), and polio (IPV).
Of these doses, 2 million will be used for the current vaccination campaign, while the remainder will be distributed to health centers across North Korea for routine immunizations.
UNICEF noted that North Korea’s vaccination rate, which was over 96% before the pandemic, had dropped below 42% by mid-2021 and has not yet recovered. Between 2021 and 2023, UNICEF supported three vaccination campaigns in North Korea, providing vaccines to 1.3 million children who missed essential immunizations during the pandemic. Additional vaccine supplies are expected to be sent by the end of the year.
However, UNICEF staff have not yet returned to North Korea. Roland Kupka, the interim UNICEF representative in Pyongyang, has called on North Korea to permit the return of UNICEF and UN international staff to help restore pre-pandemic vaccination levels and ensure all children receive vaccinations.