UNICEF/Pampers

Pampers has joined forces with UNICEF for the fourth year running as part of its ongoing dedication to helping eliminate maternal and newborn tetanus by 2012*. Since the start of the campaign in 2006, thanks to the support of mums in the UK and around the world, Pampers has provided the funding for a life-saving dose of the Tetanus vaccine for a mother and her baby every two seconds. This amounts to over 200 million tetanus vaccines donated to UNICEF.

This year, together with the support of UK mums, Pampers is hoping to raise the funding for a further 100 million vaccines to help UNICEF eliminate this deadly disease history.

Once again, it is so easy for mums to help. During October, November and December 2009, for every Pampers product purchased with the ‘1 Pack = 1 Life-Saving Vaccine’ logo, Pampers will provide UNICEF with funding for one life-saving tetanus vaccine to help protect a mother and baby in need.

UNICEF UK’s Deputy Executive, Fundraising Fiona Hessleden commented , “It is unacceptable that thousands of babies are dying because of newborn tetanus, a disease which is easily preventable through an inexpensive vaccination. Our partnership with Pampers can help protect millions of newborns and their mothers around the world from this life threatening disease and help them realise their right to a happy, healthy childhood. It is fantastic that with Pampers vital support, we can also help countries move closer to the goal of eliminating this disease by 2012.”

Pampers UK & Ireland Project Leader, Isabelle Bjarnason, says, “Working with UNICEF for the fourth year, we’re now closer than ever to eliminating newborn and maternal tetanus. We remain as passionate and committed to the cause as when we began working with UNICEF in 2006. It is great to see such dedication from UK mums who help the campaign year-on-year.”

Despite the fact that it is completely preventable through an inexpensive vaccination, over 128,000 babies in less industrialised countries will not live to see their first birthday every year due to the disease and it’s not just babies – thousands of women will also die from maternal tetanus.

To make a donation towards the Pampers and UNICEF tetanus campaign that will help to reach more children around the world or for further information about the campaign please visit www.pampers.co.uk or www.unicef.org.uk/pampers

* UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) believe that the goal of eliminating maternal and newborn tetanus could be possible by 2012. UNICEF’s goal is to support countries in achieving maternal and newborn tetanus elimination

Maternal and Newborn Tetanus

Also known as the “silent killer”, the true extent of the tetanus death toll is still not fully known, since the population at the highest risk of contracting the disease tends to live in rural areas with little or no access to health care services or education.

Tetanus is caused by bacteria that live in soil. Women and newborns are often infected as a result of unhygienic birth practices, such as cutting the umbilical cord with unsterile instruments or handling it with dirty hands. Once contracted, there is no real cure and up to 95% of babies die in the first month.

However, maternal and newborn tetanus can be prevented through simple injections given during pregnancy, to protect both a mother and her unborn child during this vulnerable period.

Following administration of the tetanus vaccine to a pregnant mother, the antibodies pass across the placenta to her foetus. Two doses of the tetanus vaccine are required, protecting the mother for three years and the baby for two months.

Pampers and UNICEF

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights in more than 190 countries. As champion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works to help every child realise their full potential. Together with our partners, UNICEF delivers health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need, while working with governments to ensure they deliver on their promise to protect and promote the rights of every child. UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations from individuals, governments, institutions and corporations, and is not funded by the UN. For more information, please visit www.unicef.org.uk

Pampers cares for the development of every baby around the world and continuously works in partnership with NGOs, charity organisations, hospitals and health professionals to help to make a difference. Some of the many initiatives which demonstrate Pampers’ ongoing commitment to vulnerable babies worldwide include: education programmes for mothers and mothers-to-be, training schemes for physicians and nurses and the donation of equipment for maternity wards and orphanages.

For further information and/or photography please contact the Pampers press office at Fleishman Hillard:

Sarah-Jane Spooner
Tel: 0207 395 7002
Email: sarahjane.spooner@fleishmaneurope.com

Or

Amaya Alvarez
Tel: 0207 395 7081
Email: amaya.alvarez@fleishmaneurope.com

For further information regarding UNICEF, please contact:

Liz Jones
Tel: 0207 375 6096
Email: lizj@unicef.org.uk

To read more about the campaign, visit these blogs:
KimUnplugged
New Mummy
Rosie Scribble
Cafe Bebe
Hot Cross Mum
Bringing Up Charlie
Dad.ie
Manic Mammy