A vaccine on time, a healthy future for your child

"You're so brave and courageous," says pediatrician Mădălina Băluță to her little patient Emma, who is just 19 weeks old. With her big curious eyes, Emma looks around and examines every corner of the medical room, watching carefully everything that is going on around her, and smiling every time her mother caresses her. 

Emma was born in Bucharest after her parents came to Romania in early November last year. They were forced to flee Donetsk, Ukraine so that Emma could be born safely, away from the terrible sound of rockets and violent attacks. 

"I registered myself at the Romexpo center in Bucharest, and there I found out about the Association of Independent Midwives. I signed up for training offered by the association, and the midwives helped me find a family doctor in Bucharest," says Olga, Emma's mother. 

Emma had already gotten her first vaccine shots in Romania immediately after birth, but her mother decided to go back to Ukraine for the next doses of vaccines because the waiting list was shorter there. "I was afraid to wait any longer, so I went back home to Ukraine for the vaccines that were due in two months." 

Olga and Emma have returned safely back to Romania and they plan to stay here until the war is over.

"It wouldn't be a good idea to move back to Ukraine now, it's not safe there". 

Olga has chosen to continue the vaccination scheme for her daughter in Bucharest with the help of the pediatrician doctor, the Association of Independent Midwives, and supported by UNICEF. In April, Emma received the first dose of the vaccine which prevents the development of serious conditions such as meningitis, sepsis or bacteremia, lung infections, and ear infections. 

Olga was accompanied by a Ukrainian volunteer, who translated all the instructions and recommendations given by the doctor, including the dates for the booster. 

Last year, the pediatrician doctor Mădălina Băluță consulted around 200 Ukrainian patients. "There were no problems regarding the communication thanks to the translators." 

"It is recommendable for the parents to follow the vaccination schedule and get their children vaccinated on time. The deadlines can be flexible, and we can wait a few days, but it is essential for the vaccines to be done within the recommended period," says Dr. Mădălina Băluță. There are also situations when a child's vaccination can be delayed by a few weeks when the child is ill and needs treatment instead. 

But among her patients were also unvaccinated children, both Romanians and Ukrainians. The doctor says the main reasons why parents refuse to vaccinate their children are related to various information they read on the Internet. “There are also moments when parents believe that dangerous diseases have been eradicated, and this way vaccines are no longer useful. Besides this, the parents don’t see the point of a sting with substances they consider being dangerous for the children". 

"Vaccination has saved lives and continues to do so. Many diseases have been eradicated thanks to vaccination. If we believe that we are now out of risk regarding these diseases, things are not that simple. We need to understand that there are some people who don't have access to vaccination, and it only takes one contact with a sick person for certain diseases to reappear in the population, especially where the vaccination coverage is low," says the pediatrician Mădălina Băluță. 

Vaccination is free for children up to the age of 18, through their family doctor in Romania. Newborn babies also get their first doses of vaccine in the maternity ward, where mothers receive counseling on routine immunization. 

Through the partnership between UNICEF and the Association of Independent Midwives, funded by the support from the Government of Austria, the Republic of Korea, and the Government of the United States, there were several organized informative sessions for refugees, on gynecological health, pregnancy care, child health, and vaccination. At the same time, refugee mothers receive counseling on how to register themselves at a family doctor, to continue vaccinating their children safely in Romania.