An online meeting was held in Donetsk Oblast to conduct an expert assessment of the risk of insufficient routine vaccination coverage among children and adults. The event was held in accordance with the order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on assessing risks to public health and sanitary and epidemiological well-being. The meeting was attended by specialists from the Donetsk Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, representatives of the departments of health, education, and science, as well as experts from medical institutions in the region.
The experts determined that vaccination remains the main and scientifically proven way to prevent dangerous infectious diseases. At the same time, martial law, population migration, and constant changes in the number of children and adults complicate the planning and control of vaccinations.
According to the results of 2025, vaccination rates for most infections do not reach the recommended 95%. Of particular concern are the coverage rates for vaccinations against Hib infection, polio, and measles-mumps-rubella.
Experts emphasized that the problem is mainly organizational in nature: some children miss subsequent doses, some families change their place of residence, and population data needs to be constantly updated. Based on the results of the analysis, the risk of “Insufficient coverage of routine immunoprophylaxis for target groups of children and adults” is assessed as high. This means that the healthcare system needs to pay constant attention to this issue and actively engage with communities.
Experts have identified the following priority steps:
— updating lists of children and adults who are eligible for vaccination;
— active catch-up immunization;
— raising public awareness;
— training medical workers;
— strengthening monthly monitoring of vaccination rates and the supply of medical immunobiological preparations to healthcare facilities in the Donetsk region.
It is expected that the implementation of these measures will increase vaccination coverage and strengthen the epidemic safety of the region's population.