Vaccine vans deliver healthier future for families in Ukraine

Not even the ongoing war in Ukraine will stop Yevheniia from taking her five-year-old daughter for her scheduled vaccination. 

“Vaccination is, above all, protection against infectious diseases,” says Yevheniia, 32, from Lozova in the Kharkiv region. 

“It also helps us prevent large-scale outbreaks. Children must be vaccinated so we don’t have to live in fear that they might catch something.”

When fighting erupted in the Kharkiv region three years ago, family doctor Iryna Horbivska from the Lozova Primary Healthcare Centre worried about vaccine supplies.

“At first, we based our planning on the fact that the number of children had dropped sharply,” the doctor explains. “But then we realised that many of our local children had left, and internally displaced families had arrived.”

Lozova is located 150 kilometres from the city of Kharkiv. Vaccines are now delivered here in a special refrigerated van, provided by UNICEF with support from the European Union (EU). The van is equipped with specialised technology that maintains the required temperature for safe vaccine transport and ensures supplies are stored in line with Ukraine’s national vaccination schedule. It is one of eight vans operating in regions where the health sector has suffered due to the war. Each vehicle can carry up to 700,000 doses of vaccines.

The Lozova Primary Healthcare Centre has previously received cold bags for transporting vaccines, as well as two specialised refrigerators which enabled healthcare workers to store vaccines at the proper temperature before distributing them to other facilities in the community. Equipment is fitted with electronic devices for temperature monitoring. This support has become especially vital due to prolonged power outages caused by the war. 

“We used to rely on regular fridges,” says Iryna. “But now, unfortunately, we experience power cuts. The refrigerators provided by UNICEF can maintain the correct temperature for up to three days, so we’re confident that vaccine storage conditions won’t be compromised.”

Iryna says that parents in the Lozova community rarely refuse to vaccinate their children – and even when they do, most later change their minds. Medical staff do everything they can to stress the importance of routine vaccination.

“This is especially true for mothers who left the country with their children,” says Iryna. “They’ve seen for themselves how strict vaccination requirements are abroad – how vital they are for attending school or nursery.” 

If a child misses a scheduled vaccination, Iryna says, the health care team can prepare an individual catch-up plan.

“Vaccination is one of humanity’s greatest achievements. As a doctor and as a mother, I urge everyone not to hesitate and to vaccinate their children, because a vaccinated child is protected from many incurable infections that can lead to severe consequences – even death.”

Thanks to support from the EU and other partners, UNICEF has helped equip around 95 per cent of healthcare facilities across Ukraine with cold chain equipment that meets World Health Organization (WHO) standards. These medical facilities are equipped with special electronic devices that monitor the temperature inside the equipment, ensuring safe storage and maintaining vaccine effectiveness.

“Children’s health is our future — and vaccines are one of the best ways to protect it. In war-torn Ukraine, this is more urgent than ever. That’s why the EU and UNICEF are working together to ensure every child has access to life-saving vaccinations and a healthier tomorrow,” says Marianna Franco, the Head of the European Union Humanitarian Aid in Ukraine.

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