Immunizations decline following pandemic
The World Health Organization in collaboration with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund published a report detailing an ongoing deficit in the rate of immunizations following the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, public health officials recorded a concerning lack of routine immunizations, according to an article published in CNN.
The report showed that the third dose of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis was administered in just 83% of 1-year-old children in 2023 compared with 86% in 2019. Additionally, about 35 million children received no or partial measles immunization, leaving them at high risk of negative outcomes during outbreaks.
WHO and UNICEF hypothesized that disruptions in health care services, logistical challenges, vaccine hesitancy and inequities in health care access may all be contributing to the lower rate of immunization compared with prepandemic levels. The organizations also estimated that about 2.7 million more children may be underimmunized or unimmunized postpandemic than prepandemic.
Despite the challenges in overall immunization, some low-income countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, Brazil and Nigeria have made significant progress in returning to prepandemic immunization levels.
“[The report] highlights that we are off track and need to accelerate efforts to meet this challenge,” concluded Ephrem T. Lemango, M.D., associate director of health and global chief of immunization at UNICEF.
Read more: CNN
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