The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF warned on Wednesday of widespread disruptions to global immunization programs for children due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The probability that a child born today will be fully vaccinated with all the recommended vaccines globally by the time he turns 5 is less than 20 percent,” according to a UNICEF press release.
These disruptions threaten to disrupt the progress made in reaching more children with a broader range of vaccines, authorities say.
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Three-quarters of 82 countries surveyed in May reported interrupting vaccination campaigns due to coronavirus, according to a study by UNICEF, WHO and Gavi. (iStock)
About 75 percent of the 82 countries surveyed in May reported interrupted vaccination campaigns due to coronavirus, according to a study by UNICEF, WHO and Gavi, a public-private partnership started by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that buys vaccines for around 60 percent. of the world’s children.
Disruptions in immunization services are largely due to low supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, travel restrictions, and low availability of health workers, as the focus is focused on the COVID-19 response.
Authorities said that due to the pandemic, at least 30 measles vaccination campaigns faced a cancellation risk, “which could lead to further outbreaks in 2020 and beyond.”
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Countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Haiti and Venezuela face “moderate to severe interruptions related to COVID-19”, where “immunization coverage has plummeted by at least 14 percentage points since 2010.”
“The avoidable suffering and death caused by children who miss routine vaccines could be much greater than COVID-19,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, asking countries to ensure that the programs continue.
“We cannot trade one health crisis for another,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s executive director.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
