The World Health Organization has said that Governments in Europe should provide free and accessible vaccinations and hepatitis care to Ukrainian refugees.

A joint statement with the EASL and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control focuses on vulnerabilities associated with viral hepatitis of refugees from Ukraine and provides suggestions for responses to the needs of this group.

As of 10 April 2022, more than 4.5 million people had fled Ukraine, mainly to Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and the Republic of Moldova.

Hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infections are key public health problems in Ukraine.

The statement called on European governments to be alert to potential cases, including by informing clinicians and healthcare workers of the need to consider timely testing for suspected cases of hepatitis.

It said hepatitis B vaccinations should be offered to children and adolescents with unknown vaccination status, known delayed, or missing vaccines, as well as to others with risk factors who do not have official records or evidence of immunity.

Hepatitis A vaccinations should be considered according to local guidelines, and close contacts of acute cases of hepatitis A infection should be traced and offered vaccination. If there is an outbreak of hepatitis A, rapid and widespread vaccination should be considered.

In 2020, the prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was estimated at 1% in adults in Ukraine, while for hepatitis C (HCV-RNA positive) infection it was 3%.

Ukraine’s vaccine coverage is lower than in most EU countries and below the recommended coverage target for elimination.