“The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccines has been recorded in about 30 years,” the organizations said in a press release.
Between 2019 and 2021, there was a 5-point drop in the percentage of children who received three doses of DTP3, the diphtheria vaccine, tetanus, and whooping cough. This reduced coverage to 81%.
DTP3 coverage is used as a marker for broader immunization coverage, WHO and UNICEF said.
“As a result, 25 million children missed one or more doses of DTP through routine immunization services in 2021. That’s 2 million more than those lost in 2020 and 6 million more than the 2019, which highlights the growing number of children at risk for devastating but preventable diseases, ”they said. Eighteen million of these children did not receive a single dose of the vaccine, most of whom lived in low- and middle-income countries.
Other decreases were observed in HPV, which lost more than a quarter of the coverage achieved in 2019, and measles, with which the coverage of the first dose fell to 81% in 2021. The WHO notes that this is the lowest level since 2008 and accounts for 24.7 million children lost their first dose in 2021.
All regions experienced a decline in vaccine coverage, with the most pronounced decline in DTP3 coverage in the East Asia and Pacific region. However, some countries were able to withstand the falls, including Uganda and Pakistan.
There were several factors behind the declines, including the increase in the number of children living in conflict and other fragile environments, the increase in misinformation, and Covid-19-related problems.
“This is a red alert for children’s health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “While a pandemic hangover was expected last year as a result of the interruptions and confinements of COVID-19, what we are seeing now is a continued decline. COVID-19 is not an excuse. We need to put a day vaccination for the missing or inevitably millions will see more outbreaks, more sick children and more pressure on already tense health systems. “
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “Planning and tackling COVID-19 should also go hand in hand with vaccination of deadly diseases such as measles, pneumonia and diarrhea. “It’s not about either, it’s possible to do both.”
Members of the 2030 World Immunization Agenda, an effort to maximize the life-saving impact of vaccines, call on governments and other groups to help tackle the decline in vaccination, including stepping up efforts to vaccinate. recovery vaccination; implement tailor-made, evidence-based and people-centered strategies to build trust; and prioritize the strengthening of health information and disease surveillance systems to provide the necessary data and monitoring.