UNICEF Press Release: Life-Saving Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women delivered to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Bangkok, Thailand, July 18, 2024 – UNICEF, in partnership with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered three vital consignments of vaccines to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) intended for more than 600,000 children and pregnant women who have missed out on life-saving vaccinations since the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than four million doses of Measles-Rubella (MR), Tetanus-Diphtheria, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Hepatitis B, Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) and other antigens were flown to Pyongyang on chartered flights over recent days.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) is expected to use most of the vaccines in September for a nation-wide catch-up campaign targeting children and pregnant women who have been unable to receive one or more vaccinations since 2021.

The targeted population includes babies born this year who have not received a single vaccine dose, leaving them unprotected from potentially serious infectious diseases. The remaining vaccines will be used to restore the regular immunization programme.

“The return of essential vaccines marks a significant milestone towards safeguarding children's health and survival in this country,” said UNICEF DPRK Acting Representative Roland Kupka. “UNICEF is proud to continue its longstanding support to the DPRK immunization programme.”

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, national immunization coverage in DPRK reportedly exceeded 96 per cent for most routine vaccines. But the coverage rate dropped sharply with the onset of COVID-19, when the closure of DPRK borders and the imposition of import restrictions led to the exhaustion of vaccine stocks.

The vaccination drive is the outcome of extensive collaboration between UNICEF, Gavi, and WHO. Among the newly-arrived vaccines, Gavi, has supported the procurement of 1,339,000 doses of MR, 495,600 doses of IPV, and 190,200 doses of Pentavalent vaccines.

“The resumption of vaccine supplies is a critical step towards reestablishing the national immunization program, protecting achievements such as polio eradication and measles elimination and restoring immunization coverage to pre-pandemic levels,” said Sam Muller, Head of Euro Asia-Pacific at Gavi. “We very much look forward to intensifying our dialogue with the government to fully scale-up our support.”

Besides the procurement of supplies, UNICEF is supporting the MoPH with the transportation of vaccines to provincial and county warehouses, as well as field monitoring and assistance to 7,200 immunization doctors to ensure that vaccines reach all children and pregnant women needing them.

“While we welcome the arrival of these vaccines, we continue to urge our government partners in DPR Korea to facilitate the earliest possible return of UNICEF and all UN international staff,” said Kupka.

“The reopening of the border and the return of UNICEF’s full team to DPR Korea will be critical to ensuring more essential support can be provided in 2024 and programmes can be scaled up as necessary to meet the needs of children and women.”

Vaccine Shipment Details

On July 15, 16 and 18, 2024, three vaccine shipments arrived in DPRK, including:

• 680,000 doses of Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine
• 309,500 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine
• 1,339,000 doses of Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine
• 291,400 doses of Pentavalent vaccine
• 1,092,000 doses of Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine
• 495,600 doses of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV)

[source]