Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – February 13, 2021 – Education
To discuss protection against infectious diseases and vaccination with parents or in the teaching staff, it is best for educators to involve medical professionals who will answer questions about vaccinations and dispel common myths. This was stated by Tetyana Baltyan – pediatrician, UNICEF trainer, a representative of the National Health Service of Ukraine during an online session on “Immunization during a pandemic.”
“Today, vaccination is the only protection against vaccine-controlled infections, ie those against which there are vaccines. According to the WHO, up to 3 million children’s lives can be saved in the world every year due to vaccinations,” said Tatiana Baltyan.
According to the expert, it is important to follow the rules of routine vaccination – that is, the one that is given to a child according to the vaccination calendar. This was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when parents were afraid to take their children to medical facilities and missed the calendar vaccination period.
Secondary education pre-school education new Ukrainian school
“During a pandemic, other infectious diseases do not go away. Discontinuation or reduction of routine immunizations threatens new outbreaks of infectious diseases. Several doses of the vaccine are needed to develop adequate immunity to some diseases. All of them must be done within a certain period of time, otherwise, the protection is lost and there may be an outbreak of another infection. This is extremely important today when the health care system is already overloaded due to the coronavirus,” Tetyana Baltyan said.
She stressed that this applies not only to children but also to adults: yes, diphtheria and tetanus must be vaccinated every 10 years.
“There is a National Vaccination Calendar, which includes vaccination against 10 diseases, including pertussis, tuberculosis, polio, measles. All vaccines that belong to the vaccination calendar in Ukraine are made free of charge – both public and private medical institutions, but only if this institution has a contract with the National Health Service of Ukraine and you have a declaration with a doctor, “said the expert.
According to her, educators, in particular, play an important role in making people better understand what vaccination is and how it works. One of the most effective ways for educators to effectively discuss vaccination is to involve a medical professional.
“Teachers can invite a doctor or nurse they trust to talk about vaccination at parent meetings or in the teaching staff. So that experts can answer questions about the vaccination and dispel common myths. Such discussions can be done online, which is relevant in our time, “said Tatiana Baltyan.
The expert also provided some tips for educators to work on the topic of vaccination:
take a thematic online course on EdEra “How to talk about vaccination in the New Ukrainian School?” – it is available by vocation;
students, in particular with their parents, can be given thematic homework: gather information about vaccination, ask a family doctor about it, etc.;
use evidence-based sources of information: for example, the websites of the Ministry of Health, the Center for Public Health, WHO, UNICEF, the National Health Service of Ukraine, the Facebook page of the NGO “Vaccination”;
To date, the Ministry of Health has developed a Roadmap for the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the document, vaccination against COVID-19 in Ukraine will be voluntary, free of charge, and will take place in stages. Currently, it is envisaged that only adults over the age of 18 will be vaccinated.
The Roadmap states that teachers and other education workers are identified as priority groups and will be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during the third phase.
Read also: The Ministry of Education and Science Is Always Open to Dialogue with the All-Ukrainian Councils!
The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the heads of regional state administrations, directors of regional education departments, and teachers, parents, and students, are jointly overcoming the challenges posed by COVID-19. This was stated by the Minister of Education and Science Serhiy Shkarlet during the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Coronavirus: Challenges and Responses”.