[ad_1]
Leading doctors fear that thousands of routine vaccination appointments may be missed or delayed due to blockage of the coronavirus, increasing the risk of sudden and potentially fatal outbreaks of other diseases when movement restrictions are finally relieved.
GPs and accident and emergency departments have witnessed unprecedented drops in the number of people seeking medical attention in recent weeks, sparking concern that routine vital vaccinations for infections such as measles, Mumps, rubella, tetanus, and whooping cough are falling by the wayside.
“We are very worried. There is no data yet because we have only been locked up for a month, but there are many anecdotes from practice nurses and others who say they have noticed a decrease in vaccine absorption, “said Helen Bedford, a professor of child health at UCL. Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and member of the health promotion committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Similar concerns have been raised in the US. USA, where health records released this week showed MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) vaccines decreased 50% in the week of April 5, with the diphtheria and pertussis vaccine 42%.
“We are concerned that this will have a major impact on vaccines here and also on the routine health checks that new babies have, because people are afraid to go to their general practice or fear that general practice is not open to business, and it’s very clear, “Bedford said.
Ministers and their expert advisers have repeatedly stressed the need for people to stay home and save lives, but doctors worry that those who need vaccines miss or postpone appointments for fear of contracting the virus when they go out. or increase the load. in health workers.
In mid-March, many general medicine practices closed their doors and switched to phone consultations with only a small number of patients who underwent face-to-face exams. Since then, doctors reported that fewer people have routine health problems and even potentially serious problems, such as symptoms of cancer and diabetes and poorly controlled heart disease.
“Childhood vaccines and immunizations for vulnerable older people and people with multiple health problems are an absolute priority for us,” said Professor Martin Marshall, president of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
“Children can become seriously ill and die from the complications of common diseases like measles that have not gone away. And immunization is a fundamentally important part of preventing that from happening. We cannot allow vaccine delays to continue for long, otherwise we will really see a crisis, “he added.
In a letter to the Guardian, Marshall warned that it was “essential” that parents immunize their children during the Covid-19 epidemic and that a drop in vaccines could lead to outbreaks of whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella in the future.
Doctors are particularly concerned about children skipping the measles vaccine. Measles is approximately six times more infectious than Covid-19 and can be fatal in some cases. Last year, the UK lost its measles-free status due to a drop in MMR immunization, meaning that parts of the country, such as London, are already at high risk for outbreaks.
“Measles is massively more infectious than Covid-19 and because it is so infectious, it only takes a small decrease in vaccine uptake to start seeing outbreaks,” Bedford said. “The pandemic does not make all the normal diseases go away. They are still circulating, but while we are all in our homes, we are protected to some degree. It is when we re-emerge that there is a possibility of problems arising.”
He urged new parents to ask their GPs to combine immunization appointments with routine check-ups on the mother and baby so that they only need to visit the doctor’s surgery once.
The blockade is having a disproportionate impact on the ability of poorer people to keep appointments, while populations that already have low vaccination rates will become even more vulnerable as their acceptance declines further.
“The important thing will be to find ways for children to catch up. There will have to be a recovery process and that could be quite complicated, ”Bedford added.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of immunizations for Public Health England, said: “The national immunization program is highly successful in preventing serious and sometimes life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, whooping cough, diphtheria and measles. During this time, it is important to maintain the best possible vaccine absorption to prevent the resurgence of these infections. “
“Hopefully, a vaccine will conquer Covid-19 and ultimately save lives,” added Marshall. “It would be tragic if a consequence of this pandemic is that we see outbreaks of other deadly diseases for which vaccines already exist.”
