As a result of the pandemic, 67 million children have not received essential vaccinations
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In calculating the damage caused by the pandemic, Covid risks turning out to be just the tip of the iceberg. It has long been suspected, but the new Unicef report “The state of the world’s children 2023: vaccinations for every child” gives us a clear picture of the dramatic effects it has had on pediatric vaccinations around the world: declining coverage in 112 countries, 67 million children who have not received regular vaccines, and as a result of this, measles cases doubled and a 16% increase in young patients paralyzed by polio during 2022. That’s not all: even trust in vaccinations as a form of essential prevention has collapsed in 52 of the 55 countries examined, with percentages that in a country like Italy are around minus 6.8%, but are much more dramatic in countries like the Republic of Korea (-44%), Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Senegal or Japan.
Why do we continue to vaccinate diphtheria and polio, diseases that no longer exist in Italy?
Back 10 years
“The hard-won progress in childhood immunization over a decade has been undermined in the last three years,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. “Resuming the right path will be difficult. The shadow of the pandemic will hang over world economies for years to come, forcing governments to make difficult choices in terms of spending and investments. Another challenge looms on the horizon: confidence in vaccines appears to be declining in many countries. While vaccine hesitancy is far from the determining factor in vaccine demand in most communities, apparent trust issues cannot be ignored.
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Declining trust in women and the under 35s
Indeed, data compiled by the Vaccine Confidence Project and released today by UNICEF indicates that only three countries—China, India and Mexico—have not experienced a decline in perceptions of the importance of vaccines. In most countries, people under 35 and women are more likely to report less confidence in vaccines for children after the pandemic began.
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As the UNICEF report reminds us, confidence in vaccines is volatile and time-bound, and therefore further data collection and analysis will be needed to determine whether current results are indicative of a long-term trend, or represent a momentary setback. Among the factors that may have prompted an increase in fears about vaccinations, the report cites uncertainty about the response to the pandemic, growing access to misleading information, declining trust in skills and political polarization. Despite the decline, however, overall support for vaccines remains quite high: in almost half of the 55 countries studied, more than 80% of respondents still believe that vaccines are important for children.
Vaccinations in children
Childhood vaccinations halted in all developing countries
Looking at the decline in vaccination coverage, the situation described by the UNICEF report is quite unequivocal. Due to the suspension of services brought about by national and international responses to the pandemic, childhood vaccinations have been halted almost everywhere, returning global childhood vaccination rates to levels not seen since 2008. Of the 67 million children who have not received vaccinations between 2019 and 2021, 48 million routinely did not receive a single dose of the vaccine. Of these children, also called “0-dose”, India and Nigeria are the countries that boast the largest number, but the increase in the number of children on 0-dose has been particularly notable in Myanmar and the Philippines, and common in almost all developing nations.
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Use the funds allocated for Covid
There’s a lot, a lot, to do, in short, to make up for the time and confidence lost during the pandemic. To respond to this crisis, which puts the survival of so many children at risk, especially in the poorest and most marginalized areas and communities of our planet, UNICEF is calling on governments to redouble their commitment to increase funding for vaccinations and work with stakeholders to unlock available resources, including residual COVID-19 funds, to urgently implement and accelerate catch-up vaccination efforts to protect children and prevent outbreaks.
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“Vaccinations have saved millions of lives and protected communities from epidemics of deadly diseases – concludes Russell – We all know that diseases do not respect borders. Routine vaccinations and strong health systems are the best way to prevent future pandemics, unnecessary deaths and suffering. With resources still available from the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, it’s time to redirect these funds to strengthen immunization services and invest in systems that are sustainable for every child.”
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