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Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021

Did UNICEF and several British agencies endorse an online graphic that includes misinformation about masks?

Christiana Dillard, Lead Stories

no

UNICEF and five other organizations whose logos were included in a graphic questioning the safety of child mask use told Lead Stories they did not co-sign or support the inaccurate graphic.

Najwa Mekki, global media chief for UNICEF, told Lead Stories that the graphic's use of UNICEF's logo was "unauthorized" and "does not at all conform with UNICEF's position on masks." UNICEF's COVID-19 mask tips comport with World Health Organization guidance that children over five can wear masks when public health measures call for masking.

A spokesperson for another organization whose logo appears on the graphic — Britain's National Institute for Health Research — told Lead Stories, "The NIHR had no involvement in the production of this leaflet, and does not endorse or support it in any way."

The Centers for Disease Control recommends the use of masks for children ages two and up in public schools.

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