More than one million doses of oral polio vaccine for children delivered to Ukraine

More than a million doses of oral polio vaccine for children have arrived in Ukraine, UNN reports, citing the Ministry of Health.

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1.1 million doses of vaccines (worth over UAH 8 million) were procured by the Ministry of Health last year at the request of the Ministry of Health, and the entire batch has now been delivered to the country. This is a live attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV) produced in Belgium (Glaxosmithkline Biologicals S.A.). 

"Ukraine has overcome the last polio outbreak, but this does not mean that there is no threat. Every child should be vaccinated against polio and the medical system provides all the opportunities for this. The supplied vaccine will be distributed to vaccination centers in all regions. A full course of vaccination allows you to form immunity for life. That is why it is important for parents who have missed a visit to the doctor and vaccination according to the calendar due to moving, changing their place of residence or other circumstances to adjust the schedule", -Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine

The vaccine is currently in the warehouse of the Ministry of Health's logistics partner and is stored under special conditions at -20°C. The vaccine has received a positive quality opinion from the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control and will be delivered to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in August.

"The polio vaccine will help protect children from the risks of contracting this serious disease and avoid interrupting compulsory vaccinations, as this is a matter of national security", - Oleh Klets, Deputy Director General for Supply Management at Medical Procurement of Ukraine.

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According to the Ministry of Health, all vaccines according to the National Schedule of Preventive Vaccinations in Ukraine are free of charge for children and adults. Even if a child misses a vaccination according to the calendar, they can get it later for free. 

Polio is a dangerous infectious disease that affects the nervous system and can lead to incurable paralysis if not vaccinated. Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is included in the list of mandatory vaccinations. In particular, by the first year of life, a child should receive two doses of the vaccine by injection at 2 and 4 months. Then - at 6.18 months, as well as at 6 and 14 years of age, the child receives drops.

If the vaccination schedule is not followed (one of the vaccinations is missed), this does not mean that you need to start the immunization course from the beginning. However, it is extremely important to catch up on missed vaccinations as soon as possible, regardless of how much time has passed. So, contact your general practitioner, family doctor or pediatrician - a specialist will help you create an individualized vaccination schedule.