UNICEF donates cold chain equipment to support immunization of children in Jordan

UNICEF has donated essential cold chain equipment to the Ministry of Health to ensure the safe storage and delivery of vaccines to support the routine immunization of children and mothers. This comes after a donation of 1.3 million doses of Polio vaccines from UNICEF to the Ministry to keep children safe and healthy.

The handover of equipment to the Ministry of Health includes four cold rooms for the safe storage of vaccines, six refrigerated vehicles to transport vaccines, 150 vaccine refrigerators and ten vaccine freezers to enhance storage capacity in health centers across the country, and more than six hundred electronic devices to ensure vaccines are kept at the correct temperature to remain effective.

"The Ministry of Health values our partnership with UNICEF and the continuous support for the National Immunization Programme, in addition to their ongoing support to enhance national capacities and make sure we provide all children in Jordan with routine vaccinations including Jordanian children, Syrian refugees, and all the residents of Kingdom; keeping all children healthy and limit the spread of diseases,” said The Ministry of Health’s Secretary-General for Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases, Dr. Raed Al-Shboul,“UNICEF’s generous donation will enhance the level of health services provided to citizens, all donation items will be distributed to hospitals and health service delivery sites across all governorates and districts.”

“Vaccines save lives. UNICEF is committed to supporting the Government to ensure that every child in Jordan is kept safe and healthy through routine immunization and the cold chain is the backbone of all vaccination campaigns,” said Tanya Chapuisat, Representative, UNICEF Jordan.

The cold chain is the system for safe storage and transport of vaccines. Vaccines must be continuously stored in a limited temperature range – from the time they are manufactured until the moment of vaccination. Temperatures that are too high or too low can cause a vaccine to lose its potency - its ability to protect against disease.

Routine immunization has been mandatory in Jordan since 1979 and all children, regardless of their nationality, have the right to receive free vaccinations. The donation of polio vaccines as part of the National Immunization Programme for children will help to maintain Jordan’s polio-free status which the country has had since 1992.

A robust and well-functioning cold chain will also support the safe transport and storage of COVID-19 vaccines. Leveraging its global supply chain, UNICEF has supported the Government's COVID-19 response efforts through the donation of ventilators, syringes, PPE and hygiene items for frontline workers, as well as supporting the national communication campaign and the procurement and transportation of COVID-19 vaccines as part of the COVAX Facility with the Ministry of Health and partners.

UNICEF is also supporting the Ministry of Health’s first national cold chain equipment inventory to help modernize the existing system, making it ready to respond to any future expansions to the immunization programme.

UNICEF’s support to the national health system to strengthen child immunization is generously supported by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.