About 47,500 girls have already received papillomavirus vaccine – Head of WHO Office in Ukraine
About 47,500 Ukrainian girls have already received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to Jarno Habicht, Head of the WHO Office in Ukraine.
"In 2026, Ukraine included the HPV vaccine in the national immunization schedule for girls aged 12-13. About 47,500 girls have already been vaccinated in the first months of the updated program. WHO supported the introduction of this vaccine into the national immunization schedule—this is the first addition to the schedule in nearly two decades," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
Habicht stated that WHO, as a technical organization that accumulates global healthcare knowledge to share when a country implements new public health measures, provided comprehensive technical support for the vaccine’s introduction. This included the development of an operational plan, clinical recommendations, vaccine safety standards, and communication strategies.
"This support was essential for Ukraine to prevent cervical cancer, which causes about 3,000 new cases and up to 1,100 deaths in the country every year," he said.
According to Habicht, WHO also supports initiatives to improve nutrition and prevent non-communicable diseases in Ukrainian schools, as well as the development of rehabilitation, "focusing on system strengthening and workforce capacity building."
In addition, WHO supported the launch and implementation of the All-Ukrainian Mental Health Program, initiated by First Lady Olena Zelenska.
"Together, these initiatives help improve both urgent humanitarian aid and the recovery of the healthcare system so that people in the most affected regions continue to receive essential medical care," he said.
