Hepatitis B Vaccination Initiative Adopted by Russian Government
On May 16, 2006, the USAID-supported Vishnevskaya-Rostropovich Foundation (VRF) held a celebration in the Yaroslavl to mark the conclusion of the VRF hepatitis B children’s vaccination initiative in the Russian Federation and the assumption of the program by the Government of Russia. Maestro Mstislav Rostropovich, a world-renowned musician, humanitarian, and outspoken defender of human rights, and Gennady Onishchenko, Chief Epidemiologist of the Russian Federation, participated in the event, which included a press conference.
USAID has been a donor to VRF since 2004, contributing $1.1 million for hepatitis vaccination campaigns in the Russian Far East. Initiated in 1999, VRF’s vaccination program for adolescents and institutionalized orphans has inoculated 1.8 million children and nearly 100,000 at-risk healthcare professionals against the disease, resulting in a 62% drop in the incidence of hepatitis B among the populations covered by the program.
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| USAID/Russia Mission Director Terry Myers (right) looks on as Maestro
Rostropovich speaks at the close-out celebration |
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