Browsing by Author "Garayeva, Nuriya"

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    Changes in vaccination practices in Turkey
    (Bilkent University, 2025) Saleem, Umayma Binte; Mukhtarov, Nijat; Nasibli, Nazim; Yusifli, Roya; Garayeva, Nuriya
    This article outlines the history of vaccination in Turkey—from the initial use of variolation in the Ottoman Empire to the mass public health applications during the Republic, and now, the privatization of vaccine supply. One can consider the first use of vaccination in Ottoman hands as a state initiative that was supported from the very institutional level: the Vaccine Production Institute (1892), and the Constantinople Imperial Bacteriology Institute (1893). The Turkish government continued this emphasis when it established the Hifzissihha in 1928, an organization dedicated to providing widespread vaccinations with the goal of catching up to European standards in preventing infectious diseases. However, starting in the 1980s, neoliberal economic policies and international financial organizations forced the government to step back from its leading role in healthcare and eventually privatized vaccine development and distribution. The paper discusses the political, social, and economic factors that brought such changes in policies and the negative effects on public trust. The paper is a call for revision of current health policies to achieve sustainable vaccination strategies in Turkey.