The WHO Country Office in Turkmenistan will support a series of 2-day national-level trainings for health-care workers on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and vaccination to be launched on 14 February 2024. The sessions will engage family doctors and immunologists from the cities of Ashgabat and Arkadag, as well as medical workers in all 5 regions of Turkmenistan. The goal of these trainings is to strengthen the knowledge of local health workers on HPV vaccines and their capacity for effective communication with caregivers and children to build vaccine confidence and increase HPV vaccine demand and acceptance.
This is an in-country follow-up to the WHO regional meeting on HPV vaccines held in Istanbul, Türkiye, on 25–26 September 2023, where representatives from countries of the WHO European Region, including Turkmenistan, discussed HPV epidemiology and vaccine effectiveness. Participants at the regional meeting also learned from new WHO training materials on risk communication and interpersonal skills to better respond to HPV vaccine hesitancy and to increase motivation to vaccinate. With support provided through the WHO-European Union Central Asia COVID-19 Crisis Response (CACCR) project in Turkmenistan, 4 participating specialists in Turkmenistan have adapted the new training materials, including educational videos, into Turkmen language, and created an interactive course for colleagues.
The trainings will start with 2 sessions for national trainers, supported by vaccine-preventable disease experts from WHO/Europe, and will continue with sessions in the regions. It is expected that 250 health workers will benefit from the trainings and will then proactively apply their updated knowledge and communication skills within their communities to promote HPV vaccination.