{"id":12912,"date":"2026-02-11T13:32:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:32:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/vaqcina-imunizatsiis-sakhelmtsipho-programa\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T13:50:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T09:50:57","slug":"vaqcina-imunizatsiis-sakhelmtsipho-programa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/vaqcina-imunizatsiis-sakhelmtsipho-programa\/","title":{"rendered":"The State Immunization Program in Georgia: What we have done and where we are now"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"4\">The State Immunization Program is one of the most effective and economically justified public health interventions, significantly reducing morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases. Operating since 1995, Georgia&#8217;s program serves as the central mechanism for controlling vaccine-preventable diseases and is gradually being harmonized with the World Health Organization (WHO) Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and Immunization Agenda 2030 standards.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"5\">Evolution and Alignment with European Standards<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"6\">Over the last three decades, Georgia&#8217;s immunization program has undergone a significant transformation. <i data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"104\">Medscriptum<\/i> spoke with pediatric immunologist Rusudan Kanashvili regarding this topic.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">As Ms. Rusudan notes, the country has &#8220;come a long way and achieved immense success, as the modern national calendar almost fully complies with European standards.&#8221; According to the expert, progress is particularly evident in the composition and quality of vaccines. This is reflected in the contrast with past experiences:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,0\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">&#8220;If previously we started from the minimum Russian DTP (AKDS) vaccine, today a hexavalent vaccine is administered \u2014 covering Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, inactivated Polio, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. This is a French, highly valuable, and most importantly, top-quality six-component vaccine.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"9\">The program has progressively added the Pneumococcal vaccine (since 2014), Rotavirus (2013), and later Tetraxim (DTP-IPV) (2020), confirming the program&#8217;s continuous development and evidence-based approach.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"10\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">HPV Vaccination: Expansion and Real Challenges<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\"><a href=\"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/programa-papiloma-virusis-tsinaaghmdeg\/\">The Human Papillomavirus (HPV)<\/a> vaccine was initially launched as a pilot in Georgia&#8217;s program in 2017. As R. Kanashvili explains, the program expanded in stages:<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"12\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Initial phase:<\/b> Pilot program for girls born in 2008\u20132009.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Expansion:<\/b> Immunization for girls aged 10\u201312, with boys added later.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">2023\u20132025 Updates:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.matsne.gov.ge\/ka\/document\/view\/1033330?publication=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The age limit increased significantly and currently includes:<\/a><\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"12,2,1\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,2,1,0,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,2,1,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Women:<\/b> Up to and including age 45.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,2,1,1,0\"><b data-path-to-node=\"12,2,1,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\">Men:<\/b> Up to and including age 45 (as of January 1, 2026).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"13\">The expert emphasizes the vaccine&#8217;s importance: &#8220;This vaccine is truly necessary because it has a double protection effect \u2014 the vaccinated person protects both themselves and their partner.&#8221; However, despite the lack of official statistics, the specialist estimates that real HPV vaccination coverage remains low and does not reach recommended levels.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"14\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Coverage and the Crisis of Public Trust<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">According to 2025 WUENIC data, coverage for DTP1 (~96%) and HepB3 (~93%) is high in Georgia. However, the target of <span class=\"math-inline\" data-math=\"\\geq95\\%\" data-index-in-node=\"116\">95%<\/span>\u00a0is not fully achieved for all vaccines, especially DTP3, Pol3, and Rotavirus.<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16\">Unfortunately, these statistics may not reflect the real picture; actual percentages might be much lower. Skeptical views regarding vaccines circulate widely, which is reflected in the turnout at immunization centers. Ms. Rusudan identifies the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as a major factor:<\/p>\n<blockquote data-path-to-node=\"17\">\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17,0\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt;\">&#8220;There are many reasons for the decline in turnout, but I would highlight the COVID vaccine specifically. The controversy surrounding it had a very negative impact on the trust built over years toward the role of vaccines and immunization in general. After the pandemic, turnout dropped significantly. The so-called &#8216;anti-vaxxers&#8217; have increased, significantly shaking confidence.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"18\">She also mentioned that public skepticism was fueled by speculations regarding the Indian-made Measles vaccine, even though the vaccine&#8217;s quality was in no way inferior to European counterparts.<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"19\">Parental Awareness and Accessibility<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"20\">The expert evaluates information deficiency as a major problem: &#8220;Every vaccine in the program is highly beneficial for a child&#8217;s health&#8230; These are top-quality vaccines available to Georgian citizens completely free of charge. I repeat, these vaccines are free; often, the reason for delayed visits is that parents simply do not know this.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"21\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Delayed Immunization and Individual Schedules<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"22\">If a citizen has not received all necessary childhood vaccinations, the expert says there is still a solution: &#8220;While some vaccines cannot be given if delayed (e.g., Rotavirus), it is always possible to create an individual schedule based on age and health status if the person desires.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"23\">\u00a0Georgia&#8217;s program is an evidence-based system harmonized with European standards. The challenges today are less technical and more social \u2014 trust, awareness, and the fight against disinformation. Achieving <span class=\"math-inline\" data-math=\"\\geq95\\%\" data-index-in-node=\"218\">95%<\/span>\u00a0coverage must remain a national priority to reduce the future burden of infectious and oncological diseases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The State Immunization Program is one of the most effective and economically justified public health interventions, significantly reducing morbidity and mortality caused by infectious diseases. Operating since 1995, Georgia&#8217;s program serves as the central mechanism for controlling vaccine-preventable diseases and is gradually being harmonized with the World Health Organization (WHO) Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":12916,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1691,1651,1701],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-doctors","category-insight","category-perents-club"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12912"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12922,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12912\/revisions\/12922"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}