The joint statement was issued on the occasion of the World Immunisation Week that lasts from April 24-30. According to the joint statement, with the COVID-19 pandemic dominating attention in Vietnam and across the world, WHO and UNICEF are calling on national and local health authorities, families and communities, as well as development partners and the private sector to step up efforts to ensure that children continue to receive essential immunization during the pandemic, so that ground is not lost in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases.

If vaccination continues to be disrupted, those diseases could return, and the world could see vaccine preventable disease outbreaks.
WHO and UNICEF are committed to continuing to provide fact-based information on vaccines to health authorities, to the public in general and to parents in particular with so that everyone can make informed decisions.