Despite the sufficient number of doses of hepatitis B vaccine, not all Ukrainians are in a hurry to immunize their children. According to the results of last year, only 66% of children received vaccinations on time. For three months of this year (from January to March inclusive), there was a tendency to decrease the share of vaccinated children. About 61% of young Ukrainians were vaccinated against hepatitis B.
“In the three months of 2024, vaccination coverage among children is 61%, the lowest among children under one year old — in Kherson (7.7%), Chernivtsi (27.8%), Ternopil (28.2%), Zakarpattia (34%), Lviv (44.5 %), Odesa (47 %) regions. Doctors emphasize the importance of vaccination against hepatitis B, especially in the first day of a child’s life. It is at this age that hepatitis B is most likely to develop a chronic disease”, – it is noted on the official portal Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Scheduled vaccination against hepatitis B involves three stages. The child should receive the first vaccination within 24 hours after birth. The second dose of the vaccine is administered at the age of 2 months, and the third – at 6 months. If the child was vaccinated late, then the second vaccination is carried out a month after the first, and the third – in 6 months.
Currently, every region of the country is provided with a sufficient amount of vaccine against hepatitis B. There are a total of 510,818 doses of the drug in medical institutions of Ukraine today.
