Ukraine lacks influenza vaccines: the epidemic season is on the verge
13 November 16:26
Every day Ukraine is getting closer to the beginning of the epidemiological season. It is already known which strains of flu will attack Ukrainians, and it will be difficult to resist the incidence this year – there are no flu vaccines in Ukraine. That is, it is impossible to get vaccinated to ease the course of the disease.
Why the campaign to prevent viral diseases was disrupted this year, whether there is a chance that a vaccine will appear in the near future, and what measures to take to not only avoid getting sick but also to prevent the disease, was found out by
In the 2025-2026 epidemic season, Ukraine will be exposed to such flu strains as A/Missouri/11/2025 (H1N1), A/Singapore/GP20238/2024 (H3N2 ), and B/Austria/1359417/2021 (B/Victoria line). H3N2 is a new strain, while the other two have already circulated in Ukraine.
Two vaccines, the French Vaxigrippe and the South Korean GC Flu, which contain antibodies against four strains of influenza and were previously available in pharmacies or private clinics, are excellent at fighting each of them. But by the end of October, it was impossible to find them anywhere in Ukraine – they disappeared. None of the pharmacists, let alone the staff of private clinics, knows when they will reappear. Everyone says the same thing: “We are waiting.”
According to the Ministry of Health, the ministry is not responsible for the supply of flu vaccines, as they are not mandatory and are not included in the National Vaccination Schedule. Therefore, the state does not provide these vaccines. Everyone buys them at their own expense in pharmacy chains or private clinics, and their availability on the market is regulated by demand.
“We recommend vaccination, but unfortunately, we cannot influence where it can be purchased or where it is not available,” Oleksiy Danylenko, Deputy Director General of the Public Health Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, said in an interview.
Vaccines burned in a warehouse
According to Alla Myronenko, an epidemiologist at the Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the demand for flu vaccines in Ukraine is decreasing every year. Last year, significantly fewer people were vaccinated, and a lot of vaccines were imported, which had to be disposed of. By the way, as of the end of September this year, only about 236 thousand doses were approved for use, which is less than in previous years, according to the State Administration of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control. For comparison, in 2020, 665 thousand doses were received, of which Vaxigrippe Tetra accounted for about half a million.
“This year, distributors ordered three times fewer doses, and they would have been enough if the warehouse in Kyiv where the French vaccines were stored had not been destroyed. Only those that were delivered to pharmacies in time were available,” said
[Kommersant] Alla Myronenko.
According to the State Service of Ukraine on Medicines and Drugs Control, 100,667 doses of French-made flu vaccine arrived in Ukraine at the end of October and passed quality control, which was to go on sale in medical institutions and pharmacies in the near future. No additional deliveries of Vaxigrippe are expected this year. We have also received a quality certificate for 136 thousand doses of the Korean-made vaccine, which have already gone on sale.
The unvaccinated will have to survive on their own
The main problem is that, according to the epidemiologist, the flu vaccine should be taken before the end of November so that immunity can be developed. After all, the flu outbreak in Ukraine is expected in late December or early January. There is not much time left.
It is difficult to predict when the vaccine will appear not only in Ukraine but also in pharmacies. Those who can afford it can go abroad to get vaccinated. Those who cannot should be well prepared.
As infectious disease doctors advise, it is advisable to take a flu test immediately at the first symptoms of illness – fever, body aches, headache, eye pain, dry cough. The most accurate test is PCR, but you can also use rapid tests to avoid going to the laboratory. If the flu is confirmed , you should start taking Tamiflu immediately .
And in order not to get sick, it is worth remembering the recommendations that everyone learned during the coronavirus: take out masks from the far shelves and wear them in crowded places.
The author: Alla Dunina
