Almost 400,000 IDPs in Ukraine have access to vaccination services thanks to WHO
With the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Ukraine, in 2022, the Ministry of Health's Regional Disease Control and Prevention Centers (RDCPC) in the western and central regions actively provided vaccinations to internally displaced persons (IDPs). Mobile teams of medical workers and specialists of the RDCPC visited more than 1,300 places of compact accommodation of IDPs and covered almost 400,000 people with services.
"WHO provided technical and informational support to protect IDPs and prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases. Vaccinations were provided by mobile teams directly during visits to IDPs' accommodation centers, and people also received consultations and plans to catch up with the vaccination schedule for both children and adults. In this way, we generated demand for vaccination - people went to primary healthcare centers and turned to family doctors for immunization services. WHO in Ukraine will continue to support the Ministry of Health in providing the population with protection against infectious diseases," said Dr. Jarno Habicht, WHO Representative - Head of Country Office in Ukraine.
Despite numerous rocket attacks and significant damage to infrastructure, which led to instability of electricity supply, the national immunization program continued to provide vaccination to the most vulnerable populations through December 2022. Thanks to direct technical and operational support from WHO, public health specialists, and vaccination teams from 8 regions visited 102 IDP centers, providing information on protection against infectious diseases and counseling more than 50,964 people, delivering 3,624 vaccinations on the spot - in December alone - including more than 2,000 against COVID-19. For other vaccines, people came to the RDCPC to complete the full course of vaccination.
"The issue of vaccination remains a priority for Ukraine. Despite russia's aggressive actions, the vaccination campaign has not stopped for a single day. The Ministry continues to work to provide everyone with effective protection against infectious diseases," said Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine.
To this end, WHO has provided technical support by conducting training courses for medical professionals, providing consumables, as well as communication and organizational support. To encourage the population to get vaccinated, more than 3 million information materials were developed and distributed for 22 regions of Ukraine with a clear algorithm on how to get vaccinated. This helped to stimulate demand for vaccination in 2022.
WHO supports the immunization program in Ukraine in partnership with the European Union and USAID. The vaccination of IDPs will continue in 2023 and will be expanded to increase the coverage of the entire population with immunization services.