A charter flight arrived in Turkmenistan on Wednesday, delivering essential vaccines for children. This is the second shipment this year, bringing vaccines against polio, measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, haemophilus influenzae, hepatitis A, pneumococcus, and tuberculosis.
The shipment is part of the ongoing partnership between the government of Turkmenistan and UNICEF on delivering essential vaccines for children, the UNICEF said in its Wednesday press release.
“Despite the global challenges with delivery of supplies caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Turkmenistan and UNICEF work together to ensure the continuity of the immunization programme in Turkmenistan,” according to the statement.
The procurement of vaccines and vaccine related supplies is fully financed by the government of Turkmenistan and routine vaccination is available free of charge to all children in the country.
UNICEF said it provides procurement services to the Turkmen government and ensures that high-quality, low cost WHO-pre-qualified vaccines and safe injection and cold chain equipment are purchased and delivered to the country.
The government of Turkmenistan has proactively ensured the continuation of the routine vaccination programme since the onset of the pandemic and significantly increased the funding for immunization under its five-year procurement plan for 2021-2025 with UNICEF, the international organization said.
“Vaccination is critical for public health, and we appreciate the government’s efforts to ensure the continuity of the immunization programme for children, especially in the current challenging times” – says Alexandru Nartea, UNICEF Representative a.i. in Turkmenistan.
UNICEF highlighted that it will continue supporting Turkmenistan’s commitment to protect all children in the country against vaccine preventable diseases, and to maintain its achievement of reaching high immunization rates in Central Asia and globally.
