A UN analysis found that the largest reduction in kid immunizations in three decades is attributable to increased disinformation and the disruption of global supply chains caused by COVID-19. Children who had three doses of the DTP vaccination between 2019 and 2021 saw a five-point decline, from 81% to 81%, according to WHO and UNICEF statistics released on Thursday. The UNICEF statement reads:
This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives
The use of this vaccine as a gauge of vaccination coverage between nations is common. In 2021, two million more children skipped DTP doses than did so in 2020, and six million more than did so in 2019, placing an increasing number of youngsters at risk for diseases that might have been prevented. More and more children are being forced to flee war zones due to escalating levels of disinformation, as well as service and supply delays caused by the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdowns that restricted outreach efforts.
Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and the Philippines, all five of these countries had the greatest percentage of zero-dose children.
A setback to the battle against cervical cancer has been dealt by the loss of a quarter of the global coverage of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations in 2019. Despite the fact that the first vaccinations were approved over 15 years ago, just 12 percent of girls are completely protected.
DTP coverage fell to its lowest level since 2008 in 2021, amidst growing rates of severe acute malnutrition. Observers had assumed that 2021 would be a year of recovery after the lockdowns in 2020. Since 2008, first-dose measles vaccination coverage has fallen to 81 percent.
Some nations, such as Pakistan and Uganda, defied the downward trend, bucking the downward trend. Countries were urged by international groups to step up their immunization efforts to make up for lost time. The UNICEF and WHO websites provide access to the full datasets.
