Routine childhood vaccinations have fallen more than ever in the past 30 years due to the coronavirus pandemic and issues in conflict areas. By 2021, 25 million children would have missed at least one of three DTP vaccinations, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF reported Friday in Geneva. DTP is a combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis).
“The impact will be measured in lifetimes,” UNICEF chief Catherine Russell warned. In 2020, 23 million children would have missed at least one of the three vaccination dates, in 2019 – before the pandemic – there were only 19 million. Overall, the proportion of children receiving all three vaccinations fell from 86 to 81 percent between 2019 and 2021.
There is a lack of staff for vaccination programs
In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen staff withdrawn from routine vaccination programs in some countries, and difficulties reaching children in conflict zones, the organizations also cite growing disinformation about vaccinations as reasons.
According to UNICEF and the WHO, most of the children who missed the DTP vaccination lived in India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines. On the other hand, Uganda and Pakistan managed to achieve high vaccination rates again last year.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
