Increased misinformation and the disruption of global supply chains due to
Covid are behind the biggest sustained drop in childhood vaccinations in three
decades, a
UN report said.
اضافة اعلان
The percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against
diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) fell five percentage points between
2019 and 2021 to 81 percent, according to official data published Thursday by
WHO and UNICEF.
This vaccine is used as a marker for immunization coverage within and across
countries.
Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said the slide "is a red
alert for child health."
"We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization
in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives," she added.
Some 25 million children missed out on one or more doses of DTP in 2021, two
million more than those who missed out in 2020 and six million more than in
2019, putting a growing number of children at risk from preventable disease.
The slide was attributed to multiple factors including an increased number
of children living in conflict zones, rising misinformation and service and
supply disruptions from the Covid pandemic, and lockdowns that limited outreach
campaigns.
The pandemic "compelled parents and families to pick between putting
food on the table and getting their children vaccinated," said Kate
O'Brien, director of the WHO's immunization, vaccines and biologicals department.
Of the 25 million, 18 million did not receive a single dose of DTP during
2021, "the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income
countries," a statement said.
Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines recorded the highest
numbers of zero-dose children.
Around the world, a quarter of the coverage of human papillomavirus HPV
vaccines achieved in 2019 has been lost, a blow in the fight against cervical
cancers.
Only 12 percent of girls are fully protected, despite the first vaccines being
licensed over 15 years ago.
Observers had hoped 2021 would be a year of recovery after the lockdowns of
2020 -- but instead it was the worst year for DTP coverage since 2008 and came
against a backdrop of rising rates of severe acute malnutrition.
"The convergence of a hunger crisis with a growing immunization gap
threatens to create the conditions for a child survival crisis," the
statement said.
First dose measles coverage dropped to 81 percent in 2021, also the lowest
level since 2008.
Declines were seen in every region, though some countries including Pakistan
and Uganda bucked the negative trend.
The global organizations called on countries to intensify their catch-up
vaccination efforts. The detailed datasets can be accessed on the UNICEF and
WHO websites.
Read More Region & World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
