More than 17,000 children are to be “vaccinated” in the region
Yesterday, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced for the first time the start of the “Catch up” campaign, within the scope of which children aged 2 to 17 years who have not received routine vaccinations will be vaccinated against measles. In Lviv Oblast, the campaign will start in a few days, when the vaccine will be delivered to healthcare facilities.
Nataliya Ivanchenko, head of the Lviv Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, told about this today during a briefing in the official media center at the Lviv OVA.
It should be added that a triple vaccine is now used – against measles, rubella and epidemic parotitis (“mumps”). That is, after vaccination, you get protection against all three diseases.
“As part of the “Catch up” campaign, all children aged 2 to 17 have the opportunity to make up for gaps in the preventive vaccination calendar, if there were any. According to the legislation of Ukraine, children are routinely vaccinated against measles at the age of 1 year (first dose) and 6 years (second dose). If for some reason children have not been vaccinated, it is never too late to start, the only thing is that then the interval between these vaccinations is shifted,” Nataliya Ivanchenko said.
The day before, the health care institutions of the region, together with the centers for disease control and prevention, conducted a screening of how many children in each district were not vaccinated at all or received only one dose. And it turned out that there are 17,663 such children. They are the ones who are subject to vaccination within the framework of the “Catch up” campaign. According to Nataliya Ivanchenko, this number is not exorbitant, and they plan to vaccinate such a number of children over the course of several months.
Not only children who are residents of the Lviv region can be vaccinated, but also IDPs and children who are temporarily in the region and have not received their first or second dose of vaccine.
“A twice-vaccinated person is considered protected from measles. This does not mean that she will not get sick, but it means that she will remain alive in case of illness, and if she does get sick, the disease will progress much easier, and the chance of getting sick is minimal,” the epidemiologist emphasized.
Why was the “Catch up” campaign launched:
Natalia Ivanchenko noted that such campaigns are implemented in response to an outbreak of the disease, or to prevent it. A high level of morbidity was observed in Lviv region in 2001, 2006 and 2012 (then almost 3,000 people in the region were ill), and in 2018-2019 (then the number of patients was much higher – 18,000).
“The measles virus is such that every 5-6 years it causes an increase in morbidity among the population. It has been 5 years since the last mass infection in 2018-2019, so we are waiting to see how the virus will behave again. Since the beginning of the year, 3 cases of measles in adults have been recorded in the region. Prognostically, this is an unfavorable sign. That is precisely why the relevance of the “Catch up” campaign is extremely great, we were preparing for it,” the doctor added.
How to vaccinate:
Consult a family doctor;
Contact health care institutions, including family medicine clinics (almost 70 vaccination clinics operate in the region);
Mobile teams have already been formed, which will go to vaccinate organized groups of children (preschools, health camps, etc.), as well as to places of residence of IDPs. Another 48 brigades will be involved in vaccination as needed.
During scheduled vaccination, the child is given two doses of the vaccine: at 1 year of age, the first dose, at 6 years of age, the second dose. If the child is 7 years old or older, the second dose is given 30 days after the first.
A child aged 1 to 6 years who has never been vaccinated is given one dose, and the second dose after reaching 6 years of age.
In general, there are no age restrictions for this vaccination – you can get vaccinated even in adulthood, if you were not vaccinated in childhood, especially for couples who are planning a pregnancy. You do not need to be vaccinated if you have contracted all three diseases (measles, rubella, mumps), however, if you have contracted only one or two, you must be vaccinated.
In Ukraine, a Dutch-made vaccine is used, which is used in all European countries.
Contraindications to vaccination in children:
if the child is diagnosed with AIDS with a low level of CD4 cells;
during an acute illness;
in case of a severe allergic reaction to the previous administration of the same vaccine.
Why is it important to get vaccinated against measles:
Measles is a disease of the respiratory tract, which is known for its complications and is very easily transmitted.
“During previous disease outbreaks, 11% of people had complications in the form of lung inflammation, 2% – inflammation of the brain substance (encephalitis). Measles begins like a common cold, a person may not know that he is sick. On the 4th-5th day of the disease, a rash appears – spots and pimples that begin on the head and body, and then appear on the limbs. All this is accompanied by a high temperature. For some, the disease progresses easily. 4,5,10 days – and the person is healthy. Someone may have complications, some cases may be fatal.
Vaccination will allow you to protect yourself from complications, a severe course of the disease, and most importantly – to save your life