Health WHO: Child vaccination rates lower than before the pandemic
UN organizations have sounded the alarm about the lack of progress in childhood vaccinations. Vaccination rates fell worldwide during the coronavirus pandemic and were still below pre-coronavirus levels last year.
15.07.2024, 02:12
SDA
This was reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the children's charity Unicef. During the coronavirus pandemic, there were delays in vaccinations and interruptions to vaccination programs in many places.
The vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough is considered a benchmark for vaccination rates among children. In 2023, 84% had full vaccination protection, slightly less than in 2019. The number of children without a single dose of this triple vaccination rose to 14.5 million last year. Before the pandemic began, the figure was 12.8 million.
Vaccination skepticism is spreading
In certain countries, the number of vaccination skeptics has increased as a result of the pandemic, explained WHO expert Katherine O'Brien. "This is leading to child deaths," she warned. Vaccination skepticism in some richer countries is also having an impact in other regions, for example when people with a migration background in Europe pass on misinformation to their countries of origin, she explained.
In poorer countries, mistrust of healthcare facilities and difficult access to vaccines also hindered vaccination progress, said Unicef expert Ephrem Lemango. Armed conflicts are a further obstacle. More than half of all children without vaccination protection live in countries characterized by instability, violence and vulnerability, according to the WHO and Unicef.
Measles as an early warning sign
The two organizations also expressed concern that more than 100 countries have been affected by measles in the past five years. "Measles outbreaks are an early warning sign. They highlight vaccination gaps and affect the most vulnerable," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Among the reported positive trends is that the global rate of vaccination against the cancer-causing HP virus recently rose from 20 to 27 percent within a year.
