With the support of the European Union, WHO, AzPC and TABIB held an awareness event in Shirvan on the importance of vaccination

With the financial support of the European Union, World Health Organization (WHO), Azerbaijan Pediatric Society (AzPC) and the Management Union of Medical Territorial Units (TABIB) conducted an awareness raising event on October 27 in Shirvan city. This event was dedicated to underscoring the significance of vaccination.

The event, titled "Embracing Scientific Evidence Over Myths: Vaccination Awareness Training" was organized also in the close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance. This initiative, held under the motto "Leave no one behind" aligns with the WHO's European Immunization Agenda 2030 (‎EIA2030).

The purpose of conducting the training is to increase the awareness of healthcare workers and parents about vaccination, to clarify the mistakes which are known truths, and to draw attention to the importance of timely vaccination in preventing diseases based on scientific evidence.

During the event, Director of Shirvan City Central Hospital, Parviz Rustambayov and Chairman of the Board of AzPC, Erkin Rahimov delivered the opening speeches. Both speakers emphasized the pivotal role of vaccination in safeguarding the health of children. They earnestly appealed to parents and healthcare workers, advising them to exercise unwavering care in matters concerning children's health and to trust in official and reliable sources of information about vaccination.

The first part of the event featured a meeting with parents of children up to 7 years old residing in Shirvan city, who had postponed their children's vaccinations. Pediatricians from AzPC, Erkin Rahimov, Ali Guliyev, and Nigar Bayramova, offered these parents comprehensive information regarding the significance of vaccination. They addressed any concerns or doubts parents had about the vaccination process and responded to their questions.

During the latter part of the day, experts from AzPC conducted sessions for healthcare workers, providing them with comprehensive information on critical aspects of vaccination. These sessions encompassed subjects such as routine vaccination, vaccine hesitancy, and various vaccine-preventable diseases and others.

Furthermore, both pretest and posttest were administered online to assess the knowledge of healthcare workers regarding vaccination and to gauge the event's effectiveness.

It is worth noting that pediatricians and nurses from Shirvan City Central Hospital, along with those from Sabirabad, Saatli, Salyan, Bilasuvar, Neftchala, Hajigabul, Imishli, Kurdamir district central hospitals, and several state medical facilities in these regions, actively participated in the event.

In total, 44 parents and 117 healthcare workers attended the event. At the conclusion of both parts, certificates were awarded to the parents and healthcare workers. Participants expressed their appreciation for the new insights they gained during the training and emphasized the importance of awareness raising events driven by live discussions. Many parents mentioned their willing to promptly seek medical facilities for the vaccination of their children. Healthcare workers reiterated their commitment to further informing the population about vaccination.

It should be noted that with the support of EU, Embracing Scientific Evidence Over Myths: Vaccination Awareness Trainings will be organized in several cities of the country as well by WHO, AzPC and TABIB in coming months.