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Almost 400 thousand IDPs in Ukraine had access to vaccination services due to WHO

With the support of the Bureau of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Ukraine in 2022, the regional Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCs) of the Ministry of Health in the western and central regions actively carried out vaccination among internally displaced persons (IDPs). Mobile teams of medical workers and specialists of the CDC visited more than 1,300 places of compact placement of IDPs and covered almost 400 thousand people with services.

“WHO has provided technical and information support to protect IDPs and prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases. Vaccinations were made by specialists of mobile teams directly during visits to IDP accommodation centers, people also received consultations and plans to meet the vaccination schedule for both children and adults. Thus, we generated a demand for vaccination – people went to the primary health care centers and asked family doctors for immunization services. WHO in Ukraine will continue to support the Ministry of Health in providing the population with protection from infectious diseases,” said Dr. Jarno Habicht, head of WHO in Ukraine. 

Despite numerous rocket attacks and significant infrastructure damage resulting in unstable electricity supply, the national immunization program to ensure that the most vulnerable segments of the population are vaccinated continued throughout December 2022. Due to the direct technical and operational support of WHO, public health specialists and vaccination teams from 8 regions visited 102 IDP accommodation centers, providing information on protection against infectious diseases and advising more than 50,964 people, making 3,624 vaccinations directly on field trips — in December alone, of which more than 2,000 are against COVID — 19. For other vaccines, people applied to the primary healthcare center to complete the full course of vaccination.

“The issue of vaccination remains a priority for Ukraine. Despite russia’s aggressive actions, the vaccination campaign did not stop for a single day. The Ministry continues to work to provide everyone with effective protection against infectious diseases,” said Deputy Minister of Health, Chief State Sanitary doctor of Ukraine Ihor Kuzin. 

For this purpose, WHO provided technical support — conducted trainings for medical specialists, provided supplies, 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 “How to get vaccinated”. This helped encourage demand for vaccination in 2022. 

WHO supports the immunization program in Ukraine in partnership with the European Union and USAID. Vaccination of IDPs will continue in 2023 and will be expanded to increase the coverage of the entire population with immunization services.