Vaccination is the only protection against polio: Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF urge everyone to get vaccinated

Every year on 24 October, World Polio Day is observed, raising awareness about polio — a dangerous disease for which no cure exists. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are urging parents to vaccinate their children on time to protect them from the disease, with vaccination the only reliable form of prevention. 

This year, vaccination coverage in Ukraine among children against polio has not reached the WHO-recommended levels. According to the Centre for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the lowest vaccination rates were observed among children aged 14 years (46.3 per cent), 6 years (52 per cent) and 18 months (56 per cent) during the first eight months of 2024. Low coverage rates in these age groups were particularly noted in the Odesa, Lviv, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. However, vaccination is free, and all regions of the country are currently supplied with vaccines.

"Ukraine has overcome the latest polio outbreak, but this does not mean the threat is gone,” said Ihor Kuzin, Deputy Minister of Health and Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Ukraine. “Every child must get vaccinated against polio. A full course of vaccination provides lifelong immunity. Therefore, it is important to check vaccination status, and if any doses are missed, contact a doctor to catch up.”

Polio is a dangerous disease caused by the poliovirus, which attacks the nervous system and can lead to irreversible paralysis and death. The disease is vaccine-preventable and vaccination against it is included in the National Vaccination Schedule. Vaccinations according to this schedule are free of charge and available at medical facilities in all regions.

"It is extremely important to protect children in Ukraine from polio and other vaccine-preventable infectious diseases,” said Munir Mammadzade, UNICEF Representative to Ukraine. “The health of children in Ukraine, as everywhere, is of the highest value. We urge parents to protect their families and vaccinate their children against polio, according to the schedule. If any vaccinations were missed, it is crucial to catch up. Since 2022, UNICEF has delivered around 2.5 million doses of vaccines against infectious diseases to ensure that every child is protected.”

In Ukraine, two types of vaccines are used to protect against polio – the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which is administered as an injection, and the oral polio vaccine (OPV), taken as drops. The drops help create immunity in the intestines, preventing the spread of the infection. Every child under 14 should receive six doses of the polio vaccine to ensure full protection. Vaccinations are administered at two and four months (IPV), then at six and 18 months, six years and 14 years (OPV), providing lifelong immunity.

"Ukraine is supplied with high-quality vaccines that have undergone WHO prequalification. Additionally, together with our partners, we are monitoring and evaluating to ensure the proper functioning of cold chain equipment used to store and transport vaccines. I urge everyone to ensure their children’s immune protection by getting timely polio vaccinations," said Jarno Habicht, Head of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.

If the vaccination schedule is interrupted (and any doses are missed), this does not mean that the vaccination process needs to start over. It is crucial to catch up on the missed doses as soon as possible, regardless of how much time has passed. Contact your family doctor or pediatrician – they will help create a personalized vaccination plan. If you have moved to another region, call the Ministry of Health’s contact centre on 0 800 60 20 19 to find the nearest vaccination facility.

Polio vaccination is the most effective way to prevent the disease. During the war, polio vaccines for Ukraine are procured and delivered by UNICEF and Medical Procurement of Ukraine, under a government order from the Ministry of Health.

At the end of 2021, two cases of polio were reported in children from the Rivne and Zakarpattia regions of Ukraine. After response measures and additional immunization of children, the WHO European Regional Office officially declared the polio outbreak in Ukraine over in September 2023.

Since the launch of the WHO Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the number of new polio cases worldwide has decreased by 99 per cent, thanks to vaccination. Before 1988, more than 350,000 cases were registered annually across 125 countries. By 2018, only 33 cases were reported globally.