Crowdfunder and Unicef UK have launched a nationwide appeal to support the biggest vaccine drive in history. VaccinAid will provide nearly two billion Covid-19 vaccines to both health workers and the most vulnerable people all over the world.
Why has Unicef joined forces with Crowdfunder to launch this campaign?
Vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions, saving up to three million lives every year. Not only are vaccines the most important tool for protection against highly infectious diseases, they are also scientifically proven to work — they save over five lives every minute of every day.
The Public Health England report provides some key information about the importance of vaccines in preventing serious illness and saving lives.
How do vaccines work?
Vaccines work by building your body’s resistance against diseases before you encounter them. They train your body to recognise and fight the disease, which makes your immune system stronger.
Each vaccine goes through multiple trials before it is licensed and approved for use. They are also tightly regulated and closely monitored to ensure they remain safe.
Are there any vaccine success stories?
Eradicating a human illness isn’t easy, but smallpox was eradicated in 1980 after decades of tireless immunisation campaigns. We’ve also seen a 99.99% reduction in polio cases since last year when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was established to immunise children against the disease.
What are the other benefits of vaccinations?
Vaccinations also bring vital infrastructure and support, such as supply chains, cold storage, trained healthcare staff, data monitoring, disease surveillance, healthcare records and much more – all of which serve as the platform through which other basic primary healthcare services can be provided to a community.
When a community gets access to childhood immunisation, this is often followed by other health services, such as neonatal and maternal care, nutritional supplements, malaria prevention measures, and sexual and reproductive health education.
Why is Unicef concerned about vaccine hesitancy?
Misinformation about vaccines is prevalent across the internet and social media, and Unicef is concerned that vaccine hesitancy is resulting in lower vaccination rates globally. Harmful content has proliferated on digital channels due to anti-vaccine activists who sow mistrust and harass experts for sharing factual health information.
Other impacts of vaccine hesitancy include supply shortages, service delivery shortcomings, and certain communities not having access to vaccines.
What if I don’t agree with vaccines and don’t think Unicef should be able to fundraise for vaccines on Crowdfunder?
While we recognise that some projects may become the subject of public debate, if they're lawful and compliant with our guidelines, the crowd will ultimately decide whether or not they receive funding. VaccinAid is compliant with our guidelines.