Ukraine: EU and WHO donate 59 buses to strengthen vaccination efforts in remote areas

With the support of the European Union, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Office in Ukraine has donated 59 buses to the Ministry of Health of Ukraine to help strengthen vaccination efforts across the country during the war.

The buses will be manned by mobile and outreach teams and will travel to all regions controlled by the Government of Ukraine to administer vaccines against infectious diseases, including COVID-19, measles and diphtheria. The teams will pay particular attention to internally displaced persons, vulnerable populations, including the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, and all those living in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

According to WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Henri P. Kluge, the vaccination coverage has been significantly impacted by the war. “Out of 35 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines delivered in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, only 4 million (11%) doses have been implemented after 24 February 2022,” he said.

With support from WHO, in partnership with the EU and USAID, up to 400,000 people in 1,500 locations in eight regions were reached with outreach immunization services, which include vaccination and information on how to prevent infectious disease outbreaks, from April to December 2022.

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Press release