Press release on humanitarian assistance to fight a yellow fever outbreak in Angola

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is implementing large-scale sanitary and epidemiological programmes to fight an unprecedented yellow fever outbreak in Angola and has appealed for international support. In this context, the government of the Russian Federation has decided to send humanitarian assistance to Angola as part of UNICEF’s vaccination efforts.

A joint initiative by Russia and UNICEF provides for buying, delivering and distributing 3.4 million vaccine doses, the vaccination of over three million people from all age groups and a health education campaign in Angola.

Russia is a large supplier of yellow fever vaccine. The Russian yellow fever vaccine is manufactured at the bacterial and viral preparations centre of the Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitis. It is also one of the four yellow fever vaccines that have been certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The decision to support UNICEF’s project has been taken within the framework of the state policy of international development assistance (IDA). Russian assistance to Angola will help strengthen partner relations with Angola and Russia’s international position as an IDA donor.