Millions of children have life-saving vaccines amid the COVID pandemic, creating misinformation
In it The World’s Children Report 2023UNICEF says that vaccination coverage levels decreased in 112 countries during the pandemic, “the biggest decline in childhood vaccination in 30 years”. According to the company, a The rise in misleading information on vaccines is one of the causes in profit
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that while the pandemic was at its height, scientists developed life-saving vaccines quickly, “Despite this historic success, fear and information about all types of vaccines that spread like the virus itself“.
Warning signal
UNICEF said the pandemic prevented childhood vaccination “almost everywhere”, due to expanded health systems and stay-at-home measures. But new data also shows it trend of decreasing confidence in childhood vaccines up to 44 percentage points in a number of countries.
“This data is a worrying signal,” Ms. Russell insisted. “We cannot rely on routine vaccinations to become victims of another pandemic. However, the next wave of deaths may be of more children with measles, diphtheria or other preventable diseases..”
Immunization skepticism on the rise
In its report, UNICEF warned that public perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined during the COVID-19 pandemic in 52 of the 55 countries surveyed.
China, India and Mexico Only countries were examined where the importance of vaccinations was stable or even improved. In many countries, people under the age of 35 and women are more likely to report less confidence about vaccinations for children after the start of the pandemic.
A long-standing trend?
The report said that “Immunity dependence is variable and time-specific“, and more sustained data collection and analysis, will be necessary to determine whether declining vaccine confidence is truly here to stay.
UNICEF also emphasized that Public support for vaccines remains strongand in almost half of the 55 countries surveyed, the majority of respondents – over 80 percent – continue to perceive vaccines as “essential” for children.
Wrong information is wrong
However, the report warns that “a combination of factors suggests a potential threat to the vaccine can grow“.
Among these factors, the report’s authors cite growing access to misleading information, declining trust in science, and political polarization.
‘Child survival crisis’
UNICEF says that children born before or during the pandemic are past the age when they would normally be vaccinated. This delay puts children at risk of deadly outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, in what UNICEF calls “child survival crisis“.
The report notes that by 2022, measles cases worldwide will double compared to 2021, and that the number of children paralyzed by polio is up 16 per cent a year. In the three-year period between 2019 and 2021, polio kills eight times more children than three years ago.
The odds are deep
The United Nations Children’s Fund emphasizes that the pandemic worsens existing inequalities related to vaccination. The report states that “for many children, especially in marginalized communities, immunization is It is still not available, accessible or affordable“.
Nearly half of the 67 million children missing out on routine immunization between 2019 and 2021 lived on African soil. By the end of 2021, India and Nigeria, which are described in the report as “countries with very large birth cohorts”, have the highest numbers of children who do not receive a routine vaccination .
Overall, in low and middle-income countries, one in 10 children in urban areas and one in six in rural areas have not received a regular vaccination.
Poverty, lack of power
UNICEF says that missing children live in the “poorest and most remote” areas, located in rural or urban areas, and in some cases affected by conflict.
The news emphasize the role of women’s empowerment in a family’s decision to vaccinate their children, pointing out that children who do not have regular vaccinations “often have mothers who are not able to go to school and are not given some say in the decisions clan”.
Unpaid health workers
UNICEF said its findings highlight the need to ensure that immunization efforts are sustainable, by strengthening primary health care and investing in health workers on the front line of immunization.
These workers are mostly women, and according to the report, they face significant challenges including low pay, informal work, lack of formal training and job opportunities, and threats to their safety.
A call to action for governments
UNICEF is calling on countries to urgently mobilize resources to accelerate immunization efforts, rebuild lost confidence in vaccines, and strengthen the resilience of health systems by supporting women’s health workers and vaccine production. region.
“Regular immunizations and strong health systems are our best shot at preventing future pandemics, unnecessary death and torture. With resources still available from the COVID-19 vaccine drive, now is the time to redirect those funds to strengthen immunization services and investing in sustainable programs for every child,” said Catherine Russell of UNICEF.
