Ukraine requires intensification of propaganda among physicians and population about necessity of vaccination as at present the anti-vaccination campaign is spreading, the meeting of the academic medical council of the Ukrainian Health Care Ministry noted.
Solving of immunoprophylaxis problem related to the national security requires consolidation of efforts of both practical physicians, scientists and teachers of medical higher educational establishments, Health Care Minister Vasyl Lazoryshynets underlined.
According to director of the Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Ukrainian Academy of Medical Sciences Yuriy Antipkin, 12 million children die because of infectious diseases annually including one third that could be saved due to vaccination. According to the Ukrainian calendar of inoculations, children should be compulsory vaccinated against 10 diseases and against five more - according to indication. "Vaccination is not forced but parents should treat health of their children in a responsible way," he underscored.
According to Acting Deputy Health Care Minister, acting Chief Sanitary Inspector of Ukraine Anatoliy Ponomarenko, as of early September, the deficit of vaccination in the country totals over 10% and by late 2008 it will grow more and these are "thousands of children's diseases that could be prevented". At the same time it will be impossible to reach 95% level of coverage with vaccination recommended by the World Health Organization, when in previous years Ukraine had 98-99% coverage. The Health Care Ministry urges politicians, physicians and mass media to help in settlement of this problem.
The Ukrainian version of the calendar of inoculations is absolutely brought in line with the European one and in 2009, it will be "optimized even more, taking into account the epidemiological situation in Ukraine, Europe and in the world as well as new vaccines," Ponomarenko noted.
Vaccine saves life of three million children in the world annually and prevents from disability of one million children. New vaccines which are supposed to be introduced in the near 5-15 years, will prevent from death of eight million children annually.
As UKRINFORM earlier reported, the campaign against inoculations started in May 208 in Ukraine, when on May 13, a pupil of the 11th form died in Kramatorsk after vaccination against measles and rubella. The state of health of a group of children vaccinated in various Ukrainian regions got worse. The vaccine made by an Indian company was not certified in Ukraine.
