“I have dedicated my entire career to treating and protecting children from infectious diseases,” says Dr Sofia Alieva. For more than 6 decades, Dr Alieva has been a pillar of Turkmenistan’s health system, dedicatedly leading immunization and disease prevention efforts.
Having worked for more than 25 years as the Chief Specialist of the Epidemiological Surveillance Department of the State Sanitary and Epidemiological Service at the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry of Turkmenistan, Dr Alieva has been instrumental in the country’s major public health achievements. As a result of the work carried out under her leadership, Turkmenistan was declared free of wild poliovirus and received certificates confirming the elimination of malaria, measles and rubella.
“I have worked in the health system in the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan, and – for the last 35 years – in Turkmenistan,” says Dr Alieva. “I started my career as a district paediatrician after graduating from the Turkmen State Medical Institute. My work has always involved disease prevention and promotion of childhood vaccinations.”
From large-scale diseases to protecting the entire population
Dr Alieva’s career began in an era when vaccines were scarce. “At that time, many children did not live to adulthood due to rampant infectious diseases. Back then, paediatricians like me would typically see up to 30 children a day, working late to fight diseases such as whooping cough, measles, and diphtheria. Sometimes the worst thing happened – the children were brought to the hospital too late and there was nothing we could do to help them.
The introduction of vaccines gradually changed all this, with our graphs showing a direct correlation between higher vaccination coverage and lower morbidity and mortality rates.
Through sustained vaccination efforts, we eliminated a number of infectious diseases. Today, we should feel glad that we no longer see complications from infectious diseases such as blindness from measles, paralysis from diphtheria, and disability from poliomyelitis, which caused suffering to children and parents throughout their lives, not to mention the high mortality rates that claimed the lives of many children.”
Tackling vaccine hesitancy then and now
“Later, when I worked in senior positions in health care, I received lists of parents who did not want their children to be vaccinated. We formed groups of reputable doctors, usually 2 or 3 people, to try to convince those parents to change their minds. During our meetings, we discussed various infectious diseases and possible severe complications resulting from infection such as deafness, blindness, encephalitis, myocarditis and lifelong disability. As a result, a significant number of parents agreed to vaccinate their children.
“I remember a case of a father of 3 boys who was categorically against vaccination. When we visited him at home, he even threatened to use his dogs to drive us away. Shortly thereafter, all his family members fell ill with diphtheria. One child died, one was left disabled, and the third one recovered. During a follow-up conversation in the hospital, the father said, “If you come across anyone refusing the vaccine, let me know. I will be happy to talk to them about the benefits of vaccination.”
Dr Alieva highlights the crucial role of health workers in promoting vaccination. “Family doctors, paediatricians and nurses play a vital role in educating the public about vaccines and debunking myths. Their efforts are building trust and confidence in vaccination, leading to the reduction and elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases.”
EPI’s 50th anniversary
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), launched in 1974. The EPI is a global initiative to strengthen national immunization programmes in every country and ensure access to life-saving vaccines for every child, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status. Over the past 5 decades, EPI has evolved and achieved outstanding results in many countries, including Turkmenistan, changing the global health architecture.
The 50th anniversary of the programme is an important milestone to celebrate the achievements of the programme, highlight its impact, and galvanize new efforts to strengthen routine immunization services.
Partnership with the EU
A project to strengthen the immunization programme, co-funded by the European Union and WHO, is currently being implemented in Turkmenistan and 4 other central Asian republics – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The project supports ministries of health in immunization and supply chain logistics, information, and capacity building for health workers, paving the way for achieving the goals and targets of the European Immunization Agenda 2030.