Number of children without measles vaccine is highest in 20 years, says WHO – 10/11/2021 – Balance and Health

Number of children who missed the first dose of Serum Against measles in 2020 made the biggest jump in 20 years, raising the risk of a new outbreak, according to Report released on Wednesday (10) By the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) in the United States.

In total, 24 measles vaccination campaigns scheduled for last year have been postponed worldwide due to the Covid pandemic. The disease is dangerous for children and can be fatal, said Kevin Caine, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Brazil is one of the countries that Reducing childhood immunization fearsAccording to the director of the Brazilian Association of Immunizations, Renato Kfoury. “From 2015 through early 2019, the average vaccination coverage was 90%, 95%,” he says. “In 2019, it’s down to 80%, and in the case of a pandemic, it’s down to nearly 70%.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, countries need to act quickly to increase immunization coverage Before the return of travel and rotation to pre-pandemic levels, because measles is one of the most contagious viruses in the world, although it is almost entirely preventable through vaccination.

According to the World Health Organization, the risk of an outbreak has increased even with a decrease in the number of reported cases of the disease by 80%, because the epidemic has made health monitoring difficult, there has been a decrease in the number of samples sent to laboratories, and the disease has reached the rate of spread. Lowest number in ten years.

In total, the number of unvaccinated children worldwide is up to 22 million, an increase of 3 million compared to 2019. 70% of them still miss their second dose, well below the target of 95%.

“The evidence suggests that we are seeing a calm before the storm,” said Kate O’Brien, director of immunization at the World Health Organization. According to her, diverting resources and teams to fight Covid is harmful: “We risk replacing one deadly disease with another.”

Over the past 20 years, it is estimated that the measles vaccine has prevented more than 30 million deaths worldwide. Estimated measles deaths decreased from about 1.07 million in 2000 to 60,700 in 2020.

However, vaccination cutbacks were already taking place before the pandemic, according to UNICEF Director of Immunization Ephrem Limango. “Even small pockets with low measles immunization coverage can fuel outbreaks of unprecedented scale, including in countries where the disease has been eliminated,” he said.