Pandemic delays cause ‘largest drop in childhood immunisation in a generation’

Children's charity Unicef warns consequences of sharp rise in unvaccinated children ‘will be measured in lives’ 

By Boris Barbalov of The Telegraph. Excerpts:

"Pandemic related disruptions have caused the largest backslide in childhood vaccinations in 29 years, in what experts say is a “red alert” warning for health. 

For the first time in the 21st century, the number of unimmunised children worldwide has risen sharply for the second year in a row, according to a UN report published on Friday.

The decline has been driven by misinformation, Covid-19 and humanitarian emergencies, which have hampered vaccination rollouts across the globe. 

The data, collected by Unicef and the World Health Organization, found that 24.7 million children missed their first measles dose in 2021 – 5.3m more than in 2019 – while 14.7m did not have their second shot. 

Meanwhile, the percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a core marker for immunisation coverage within and across countries – fell by five percentage points over two years, to 81 per cent. Coverage for polio and HPV also dropped. 

Worryingly, 18 million children, dubbed “zero-dose children”, did not receive a vaccine of any kind in 2021, with Myanmar and Mozambique recording the largest increases in the number of completely unimmunised children. 

 

“This is a red alert for child health,” said Catherine Russell, executive director of Unicef. “We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives.”

Already in 2022, there was a 79 per cent increase in measles cases reported across the globe, when compared to the same period in 2021. 

Experts said some of this decline is a “pandemic hangover” – many vaccination campaigns were paused or postponed for fear of further spreading the virus."