Our Country’s invasion of Ukraine carries many serious threats to public health that go beyond military violence itself, experts warn. One of them is polio, a devastating contagious disease that has returned to Ukraine. On February 28, WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević announced that routine vaccinations and attempts to control outbreaks were suspended due to fighting in Ukraine.

  1. UNICEF: Polio returned to Ukraine in 2021 due to low routine immunization rates
  2. Unvaccinated children under the age of 6 are most at risk. Meanwhile, according to the Ukrainian Center for Public Health, by the end of the first half of 2021, only 38 percent. six-year-olds were vaccinated against polio
  3. On February 1, a nationwide polio vaccination campaign was launched in Ukraine. Its goal was, inter alia, reaching 100 children who are still not protected against this disease
  4. According to Reuters, WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević reported that routine vaccinations and polio control attempts were suspended in Ukraine due to fighting
  5. “The current crisis in Ukraine increases the risk of domestic and international spread of the virus,” warns a WHO spokesman
  6. You can follow up-to-date information from Ukraine in our LIVE REPORT
  7. More information can be found on the Onet homepage

Polio returned to Ukraine. “A serious threat to every child”

Heine-Medin disease (also known as polio) returned to Ukraine in 2021. It is an infectious viral disease that can lead to muscle paralysis and, consequently, to paresis, motor disability, paralysis, and respiratory failure. According to the American news network NBC News, in the fall of last year in Ukraine, two children with polio paralysis were identified, 19 more were confirmed to be infected with the virus, but without paralysis. “The confirmation of the second case of paralysis in January 2022 proves that the virus is still circulating in the country,” said the spokesman for the World Health Organization, Tarik Jašarević, quoted by the station.

The reason for the return of this devastating disease to Ukraine is the low rate of routine immunization. «Polio poses a serious threat to every child in Ukraine. Unvaccinated children under the age of 6 are at greatest risk »warned UNICEF in January. Meanwhile, the data of the Ukrainian Center for Public Health show that by the end of the first half of 2021, only 38 percent. six-year-olds were vaccinated against polio.

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The situation was to be improved by the Polio Response Plan adopted in late 2021 in cooperation with UNICEF. «Polio is a danger everywhere for children everywhere. Vaccinations are the only effective way to protect every child and stop the epidemic »- said Murat Sahih, the representative of this organization in Ukraine in January. «Polio vaccines are safe, effective and have already saved hundreds of thousands of children around the world. I call on all Ukrainian parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible according to the national vaccination schedule ».

Further part below the video.

The war in Ukraine increases the risk of polio spreading

On February 1, Ukraine launched a polio vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of 6 who have not yet received the preparation. «It is imperative that the campaign protects the remaining 100 people. children »- a few days ago WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević emphasized. Unfortunately, Our Country’s invasion of Ukraine changed the situation. Jašarević on Monday said routine vaccinations and polio control attempts had been suspended in Ukraine due to fighting (one of the problems highlighted by the WHO is power outages in certain areas that affect the safety of vaccine stocks).

In light of this situation, doctors fear that the number of polio cases will increase. Dr. Timothy Erickson, a lecturer at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, spoke about it for NBC News. Tarik Jašarević made a similar statement. “The current crisis in Ukraine increases the risk of domestic and international spread of the virus.”

Tarik Jašarević said “WHO is working on urgent contingency plans to support Ukraine and prevent the further spread of polio”.

Unfortunately, there are more problems related to public health in Ukraine. The WHO is hearing information that vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 in many parts of the country have also been halted. Leading health experts are also concerned about the expected difficulties in caring for patients with NCDs. “We are talking about everything from insulin for diabetes, cardiac drugs, to cancer treatment, dialysis” – said Paul Spiegel, director of the Humanitarian Health Center. John Hopkins.

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  2. Medical students from Ukraine can continue their education in Poland. Health ministry announcement
  3. A psychological guide for people hosting refugees from Ukraine

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