Ministry of Health: 340 thousand doses of oral polio vaccine delivered to Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine has received 340,000 doses of oral polio vaccine from UNICEF, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to ensure that children are immunized in 2024. Polio vaccinations are given to children at the ages of 2, 4, 6, 18 months, 6 and 14 years to provide lifelong protection.
To ensure immunization of children in 2024, 340 thousand doses of oral polio vaccine were delivered to Ukraine. This was reported by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, UNN reports .
Details
It is noted that 340,000 doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) were delivered by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development to support the National Immunization Program of Ukraine. The storage and delivery of the vaccine received from international partners as humanitarian aid to the regions is supported by the SAFEMed project, USAID Ukraine - Safe and Affordable Medicines for Ukrainians.
Two types of vaccines are used to protect against the polio virus in Ukraine: inactivated (IPV), which is administered as injections, and oral (OPV), which is given as drops in the mouth. The drops build immunity in the child's intestines, thus stopping the spread of the infection. Every child should receive six doses of polio vaccine by the age of 14. This way, immunity to the disease can be formed. Vaccinations are given at 2, 4 (IPV), then at 6 and 18 months, 6 and 14 years (OPV) and provide lifelong protection.
By the end of 2023, the polio vaccination coverage rate in different age groups exceeded 80%, but according to WHO recommendations, the indicator that indicates the protection of the population from vaccine-preventable infections through vaccination should be 95%,
For reference
Polio is a dangerous disease caused by the poliovirus. It affects the nervous system and can lead to incurable paralysis and death. Polio is one of the 10 vaccine-preventable diseases against which vaccinations are included in the National Immunization Schedule.
There is no cure for polio, and polio vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease. The most vulnerable to polio are children under 5 who have not been vaccinated and, accordingly, have no immunity to the virus.
Addendum
The Ministry of Health reminds that vaccines for routine vaccination are purchased at the expense of the state budget. Some vaccines are supplied by international partners at the request of the state in case of increased demand or emergencies.
Free vaccinations against 10 infectious diseases are included in the preventive vaccination calendar. In particular, a child should be vaccinated against such diseases as tuberculosis, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and hib infection.
