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KYIV, 22 October 2015 – UNICEF and WHO welcome the beginning of immunization activities to stop a polio outbreak in Ukraine, as a nationwide polio vaccination commences in the country to reach over 4.7 million children.
The outbreak can be rapidly stopped through nationwide immunization of children for at least three rounds with oral polio vaccine, according to guidelines from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative*.
The campaign is supported by UNICEF and WHO. During the first two rounds, 2.8 million children aged 2 months to 6 years will be immunized. An additional 1.9 million children aged 6-10 years will also be reached in the third round. In all, a total of 4.7 million children will have been immunized against polio during the nationwide campaign.
“It’s an important first step to protect children in the country from this virulent disease,” said Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine. “It’s critical to make sure that this campaign not only takes place but also that it is effective and reaches all children in the target age group in Ukraine.”
Ukraine’s Ministry of Health declared a polio outbreak on 1 September with two confirmed cases, the first time in 19 years. Neither of the infected children, aged 10 months and 4 years, had been vaccinated against the disease. Routine immunization coverage rates in Ukraine have fallen dramatically in the past five years to as low as 50 per cent. This year, the level of immunization against polio among children under 12 months dropped further to 14 per cent. Insufficient vaccine supply and the conflict in eastern Ukraine have contributed to low levels of coverage. This outbreak, combined with the low level of vaccination rates in Ukraine, risks children’s health and well-being nationwide and threaten Europe’s polio-free status.
“It is symbolic that the campaign is being launched on the eve of World Polio Day, when the whole world is united to eradicate this dangerous virus,” said Dr Dorit Nitzan, WHO Representative in Ukraine. “I appeal to Ukrainian parents and health workers, to protect all children with no further delay and stop the spread of a deadly disease”
The first round will use 3.7 million oral polio vaccines, procured with funding from the Government of Canada. UNICEF has appealed to international donors to support procurement of additional polio vaccines, which are urgently required to complete all three polio rounds.
*The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.
See more at: http://www.polioeradication.org/AboutUs.aspx#sthash.kNsxDaeL.dpuf
For further information on how the World Polio Day is being marked, see more at: http://www.polioeradication.org/
For further information, please contact:
Veronika Vashchenko, UNICEF Kyiv, +38 044 254 2439, vvashchenko@unicef.org Olha Izhyk, WHO Kyiv, +38 063 42 77 696, izo@euro.who.int