Ukraine has received 60 thousand doses of a combined vaccine that protects children from five diseases at once, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday, UNN reports.
Details
"We received 60 thousand doses of a combined vaccine that protects children from five diseases at once. This is the PENTA-Hib vaccine. It is a combined vaccine for the prevention of diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection in children of the first year of life (with a whole-cell pertussis component)," the Ministry of Healthcare wrote on social media.
It was delivered by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with the support of the Japanese government. According to the Ministry of Health, the vaccine will be distributed among the regions.
On August 1, an additional round of vaccination of children and revaccination of adults against diphtheria and tetanus began across the country, following the decision of the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies, and will continue until the end of the year. The medical system provides the opportunity to get vaccinated both at vaccination points and during field visits of vaccination teams to communities
Vaccinations, as indicated, can be done free of charge in public healthcare facilities or private clinics that have signed an agreement with the National Health Service.
Only one shot is required and only one visit to a healthcare facility, which also means less stress for the child and parents. The combined PENTA-Hib vaccine is administered to children at 2, 4, 6 and 18 months of age
Addendum
Since the beginning of 2024, according to the Ministry of Health, one case of diphtheria and eight cases of tetanus have already been registered in Ukraine. Also, in the first seven months of 2024, 5,602 cases of pertussis were registered, which is 27 times more than in the same period last year. During 2022 - the first quarter of 2024, four cases of diphtheria were reported, while in 2020-2021 there were none.
In 2023, 83.4% of Ukrainian children under the age of one received the required three doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine, and 79.2% of children under the age of one were vaccinated against hepatitis B, the Ministry of Health noted.