The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic: 25 million children were not vaccinated against dangerous diseases The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) sound the alarm: 25 million children did not receive life-saving vaccinations last year. Overall, vaccination rates hit their lowest level in three decades. A similar failure was a consequence of the pandemic, due to which health systems around the world were working with increased pressure..

The number of children who received three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine DTaP fell by five percent between 2019 and 2021. Immunization coverage was thus 81 percent. “DTaP three-dose rates are the basis for assessing child immunization levels within countries and globally,” Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO Director of Immunization, told reporters in Geneva.. According to her, this figure has been falling for the second year in a row..

The WHO hoped that the situation would improve in 2021, but this did not happen - immunization coverage fell again. “Last year, 25 million children did not receive one or more doses of DTaP, which means that we may face outbreaks of diseases, an increase in mortality, and children who have had preventable infections will suffer from their consequences for life,” she warned.

WHO insists that along with measures to combat COVID-19, countries are obliged to vaccinate the population against such deadly infections as measles, pneumonia or diarrhea. “We must ensure that children who miss doses in 2020-2021 are immunized,” she stressed.. “It means restoring immunization programs.”.

The commitment to vaccinate every child against deadly diseases by 2030 is also under threat.. “It is extremely disturbing to see the biggest drop in immunization rates in a generation,” UNICEF Deputy Director for Immunization Efrem Tekle Lemango told reporters via video link from New York. According to him, the UN Children's Fund is extremely concerned about the consequences for the health of the world's population, especially young people in low- and middle-income countries..

For example, insufficient levels of immunization led to outbreaks of measles and polio in Malawi and Mozambique. The largest measles outbreaks in recent decades were also observed last year in Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, Afghanistan and Ethiopia. UNICEF worries it could happen again if no action is taken. “Unfortunately, the situation is not yet in sight to improve, on the contrary, immunization rates continue to decline, and we are already facing the consequences,” said Lemango.

The largest reductions are in the most vulnerable countries, where children suffer from malnutrition and wasting as a result of various crises. “For a malnourished child, any infection can be deadly, as his weakened immune system is not able to provide adequate resistance,” added a UNICEF representative..

At the same time, according to him, the pandemic, for all its tragic consequences, gives cause for hope:. He urged to do everything to use this experience and ensure that the population is vaccinated against other diseases as well..

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