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DPA
Geneva
Children’s vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough have declined significantly because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have found.
“The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunisations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Wednesday.
Over 60 countries are also reporting difficulties with the supply of measles vaccinations, the two international organisations said.
In other cases, families do not dare leave their homes or lack the money to go to hospitals for the vaccinations.
Based on preliminary indications, at least 30 planned measles vaccination campaigns could be cancelled due to the pandemic.
Before the start of the pandemic, the international organisations had warned of slowing progress in immunisation programmes.
After the immunisation rate rose steeply, it has plateaued in the past few years, with around 85 per cent of children being vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough worldwide. Around 14 million children were not reached in 2019, most of whom live in Africa.
Geneva
Children’s vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough have declined significantly because of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have found.
“The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunisations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement on Wednesday.
Over 60 countries are also reporting difficulties with the supply of measles vaccinations, the two international organisations said.
In other cases, families do not dare leave their homes or lack the money to go to hospitals for the vaccinations.
Based on preliminary indications, at least 30 planned measles vaccination campaigns could be cancelled due to the pandemic.
Before the start of the pandemic, the international organisations had warned of slowing progress in immunisation programmes.
After the immunisation rate rose steeply, it has plateaued in the past few years, with around 85 per cent of children being vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough worldwide. Around 14 million children were not reached in 2019, most of whom live in Africa.
