from WHO, UNICEF and the National Public Health Agency, and had an audience of 14 000. In Tajikistan, information about immunization reached the general public through television broadcasts and printed materials. In Ukraine, celebrities and medical specialists spread the word through radio and television, and the media participated in an event and press conference together with the organization Parents for Vaccination. Immunization supporters dressed as superheroes, and well-known parenting bloggers also helped highlight EIW in Kyiv.

Strong collaboration

Maintaining high vaccination coverage requires joint action and a unified voice. This was evident in all countries, with activities organized by a large range of stakeholders including WHO, UNICEF, Rotary and other international partners, as well as local health authorities, parent organizations, health professionals, teachers and more. Within the European Union (EU),the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) launched a report on the measles situation in the EU, and the European Commission proposed a Council Recommendation to strengthen the EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. Large expert conferences, roundtable meetings and press conferences were organized, for example in the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Ukraine. In Slovenia, the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) organized a conference for experts and journalists to discuss the status of vaccination in the country.

In Ukraine, opinion leaders, including health-care specialists and representatives of parent and other interest groups, made a joint statement committing to unite their efforts, along with the Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF, to ensure that every person in Ukraine has equitable access to the benefits of immunization and to