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Wednesday April 25, 7:50 am Eastern Time

Press Release

SOURCE: Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ronald McDonald House Charities Joins the U.S. Fund

for UNICEF in Effort To Eliminate Maternal and

Neonatal Tetanus (MNT) by 2005

NEW YORK CITY, April 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Ronald McDonald House Charities, one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the health and well being of children worldwide, announced today that it has given a $5 million grant to the U.S.  Fund for UNICEF (The United Nations Children’s Fund).  The donation will be used to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT) -- a disease that kills an estimated 600 infants each day in developing countries -- in every country in the world by the year 2005.

With this grant to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, Ronald McDonald House Charities has surpassed the $300 million mark in grant giving efforts worldwide.

“There is an urgent need to prevent tetanus from taking any more lives of women and children, and we’re proud to partner with UNICEF on this important cause,” said Ken Barun, president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities. “This grant furthers our mission of bringing health care directly to children who desperately need it in all corners of the world.”

“We’re delighted that Ronald McDonald House Charities has chosen to join us in this fight, said Charles J. Lyons, president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.  “This donation will provide a major advancement toward our goal of eliminating MNT as a global health threat.“

MNT hits hardest in the world’s poorest nations, where inadequate education and a lack of access to health care is widespread. Although a vaccine has existed for 70 years, MNT kills an estimated 215,000 babies and 30,000 mothers each year. Low-cost immunizations prevent this disease but MNT continues to be a major public health problem in countries burdened by low vaccination coverage and limited health infrastructure. Three doses of tetanus toxoid vaccine need to be administered to all women of childbearing age in areas where MNT is still prevalent, to protect them and their newborns against tetanus. This means immunizing an estimated 100 million women of childbearing age in 57 developing nations.

UNICEF has taken a lead in promoting and supporting extra efforts in supplemental immunization activities for women in areas most at risk. Temporary immunization posts are set up in remote villages. In some areas, women are reached by health workers who make individual house visits. Through intense collaboration and planning with communities and community leaders, UNICEF provides the vaccines, syringes and safety boxes, along with the logistics and technical assistance needed, to ensure that all women at risk are immunized, with proper documentation that each woman has been reached. These activities are also used as important opportunities to promote hygienic birth practices within the community.

The U.S. Fund for UNICEF works for the survival, protection and development of children worldwide through education, advocacy and fundraising. Created in 1947, it is the oldest of 37 national committees around the world that support UNICEF’s mission. For more information on the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, its partners or to donate to the program to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, call 1-800-FOR-KIDS, or visit http://www.unicefusa.org .

Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit, 501©3, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well being of children through its network of 166 local Charities currently serving in 33 countries. The Charity makes grants to not for-profit organizations and provides support to Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles worldwide. To date, Ronald McDonald House Charities’ national body and global network of local Charities have awarded more than $300 million to children’s programs worldwide. For more information on Ronald McDonald House Charities and its global and local community efforts, visit the Ronald McDonald House Charities Web site at www.rmhc.org or call 630/623-7048.

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.