About 67 million children were not vaccinated between 2019 and 2021 due to the pandemic, UNICEF warns.

Some 67 million children were completely or partially excluded from routine immunization between 2019 and 2021 due to health facility closures and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said on Wednesday. United Nations.

“More than a decade of hard-won gains in routine childhood immunizations have been undermined,” UNICEF warned in a report released Wednesday, adding that returning to those levels “will not be easy.”

Of the 67 million children whose vaccinations were “strongly violated”, 48 million did not receive the full vaccine systematic, according to UNICEF, which raises fears of possible outbreaks of polio and measles.

Vaccination coverage

Vaccination coverage among children decreased in 112 countries and the percentage of minors vaccinated worldwide fell 5 points to 81%, the lowest since 2008. Africa and South Asia were particularly hard hit.

“It is worrying that failure during pandemic came at the end of the decade, when growth in child immunization generally stalled,” the report says.

The Importance of Vaccines

Vaccines save 4.4 million lives a year, and according to the UN, that figure could rise to 5.8 million by 2030 if the ambitious “leaving no one behind” goals are met.

” vaccine played a very important role in providing more children long and healthy life,” he said. AFP Brian Keely, editor-in-chief of the report.

“Any decline in vaccination rates is worrisome.”

Measles

Before the introduction vaccine in 1963, about 2.6 million people died each year from measles, mostly children. By 2021, that number has dropped to 128,000.

But between 2019 and 2021, the percentage vaccinated children against measles fell from 86% to 81%, and the number of cases in 2022 doubled compared to 2021.

Trust in vaccines is falling

Keely warned that falling vaccination rates could be exacerbated by other crises, from climate change to food insecurity.

“There are more and more conflicts, economic stagnation in many countries, climate emergencies, etc.,” he said. “All of this makes it difficult for health systems and countries to meet vaccination needs.”

UNICEF urged governments to “double their commitment to increase immunization funding” with a focus on “catching up” those who missed vaccinations.

The report also expresses concern about declining public confidence in vaccineobserved in 52 of the 55 countries surveyed.

“We cannot let routine immunization addiction become another casualty. pandemic”, – said in a statement Katherine Russell, chief executive UNICEF.

“Otherwise, the next wave of deaths may be more children with measles, diphtheria or other preventable diseases.

Trust in vaccine may be “volatile and time dependent”, according to the report, which notes that “further analysis will be required to determine if the results indicate a longer-term trend” beyond pandemic.

In general, he said he supported vaccine “He remains relatively strong.” (According to AFP)