ReliefWeb

KYIV, 4 September 2015 – UNICEF and WHO call on parents in Ukraine to vaccinate their children, as efforts are urgently underway to distribute vaccines to all areas of the country, following a confirmed polio outbreak. Polio is an infectious disease that can cause paralysis or even death.

The two cases, which were confirmed by a WHO regional reference laboratory, are children living in Zakarpatska oblast, one aged 10 months and the other aged 4 years, who were not vaccinated against polio and became paralysed after contracting a circulating form of the poliovirus. This occurred because of the chronically low immunization coverage in the country.

“The only effective way to protect children from polio is vaccination. The available vaccines supplied by UNICEF should be used as soon as possible to ensure children are protected from polio in Ukraine,” said Giovanna Barberis, UNICEF Representative in Ukraine.

Outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus can be rapidly stopped through full implementation of urgent outbreak response by rapidly immunizing children with the oral polio vaccines (OPV). Currently, the awareness among Ukrainians about the risks of the disease is low. Only 18 per cent of Ukrainian mothers think that polio is an acute dangerous disease and only 27 per cent know that it bears the risks of paralysis, according to a 2014 UNICEF/WHO survey.

UNICEF and WHO experts are working closely with the Ministry of Health to provide a quick and robust response in order to rapidly stop circulation of the virus. Half of the total amount of 4.8 million polio vaccines, including 3.7 million doses of OPV, provided by UNICEF with support of the Government of Canada, are already in the country and will shortly be distributed by the Ministry, in accordance with the response plan.

“WHO recommends large-scale immunization activity. The quality of the polio vaccine provided to Ukraine is in line with WHO pre-qualification standards. It is safe and effective and ready to be distributed and used,” said Dorit Nitzan, WHO Representative to Ukraine and Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine. “I appeal to families to promptly bring their children for immunization, as soon as the Ministry of Health begins the immunization campaign over the coming days and weeks.”

WHO and UNICEF continue to provide immediate support to the Government of Ukraine in protecting children and preventing further spread of the poliovirus. #####

For further information, please contact: Veronika Vashchenko, UNICEF Kyiv, +38 050 388 2951, vvashchenko@unicef.org Olha Izhyk, WHO CO in Ukraine, +38 063 42 77 696, izhyko@who.int

About UNICEF UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF in Ukraine and its work visit: www.unicef.org/ukraine. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.