Ukraine announces free HPV vaccine: what will change in the National Immunization Schedule from 2026
Kyiv • UNN
From 2026, free vaccination against the human papillomavirus will be introduced in Ukraine as part of the National Vaccination Calendar. The Ministry of Health also plans to introduce multicomponent vaccines and update vaccination schedules.
From 2026, the National Vaccination Calendar will include a vaccine against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which was previously only available on a commercial basis. This will be an important step in the fight against cervical cancer in Ukraine. This was reported by the Deputy Minister of Health - Chief State Sanitary Doctor Ihor Kuzin during a briefing, reports the correspondent of UNN.
Details
"Probably the key change planned is the introduction of a new antigen - this is a vaccine against the human papillomavirus. And indeed, in my opinion, this is a breakthrough for Ukraine, because this vaccine was used exclusively on a commercial basis, and we rarely received it as humanitarian aid. And the demand for it is quite wide - the vaccine allows to protect children, and then adults, from the types of cancer caused by oncogenic types of viruses," Kuzin said.
According to him, the introduction of such a vaccine will significantly affect the incidence of cervical cancer, which is a rather serious problem for Ukraine. It is also planned to introduce more widespread use of multicomponent vaccines, when several antigens are administered during a single injection.
"This is done at least to simplify the vaccination process itself, to reduce the number of visits, to reduce the burden on the number of injections for such a child who is being vaccinated. The relevant vaccination schedules against tuberculosis, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, and rubella have been adjusted. And it was also proposed to update the section on the specifics of vaccination during special conditions. This is when a person has an immunocompromised condition or has some other health conditions," the Chief Sanitary Doctor noted.
Additionally
As Kuzin noted, the National Vaccination Calendar is an order of the Ministry of Health that affects all Ukrainians, because it regulates the list of mandatory, recommended vaccinations, vaccination schedules by age, and is a very valuable document for every medical worker to monitor compliance or non-compliance with the calendar, so its update is a normal process.
The Ministry of Health plans to make changes to the National Vaccination Calendar from January 1, 2026. The Chief Sanitary Doctor explained why a year is needed for this process.
"Vaccines are not purchased overnight. There is a certain planning cycle and also ordering of the vaccine, at least 9 months pass from the moment of initiating the procurement until the vaccine can appear on the territory of the country. Therefore, in order to balance the purchase and supply schedule, in order to provide a transition period for training doctors, to conduct the necessary explanatory work, we initiate the introduction of such changes at the beginning of this year, in order to have as much time as possible in reserve for preparation for the implementation of such a vaccination calendar," Kuzin said.
In particular, vaccination against HPV will be added to the calendar, they will switch to an inactivated polio vaccine, change the vaccination schedule against hepatitis B, review the age for BCG and MMR vaccinations, and also introduce combined vaccines.
Public discussion of the draft order of the Ministry of Health "On Amendments to the Calendar of Preventive Vaccinations in Ukraine" is underway. The changes have been developed taking into account international recommendations and based on the position of the National Technical Group of Experts on Immunoprophylaxis. Comments and suggestions can be sent to the Ministry of Health.
Reminder
While free HPV vaccinations have not yet been introduced, local authorities are trying to independently promote the prevention of this disease in women. For example, in Brovary, there are several important medical programs aimed at supporting the health of the community, including privileged categories of the population. They actively support women in the prevention of oncological diseases. As part of the social protection program, free HPV testing is carried out.
In addition, the local authorities of Brovary allocate significant funds to support cancer patients living in the community. The hospital provides them with free chemotherapeutic drugs, which are expensive, as all components are of foreign production.