About 25 million children worldwide missed vaccinations last year that protect against life-threatening diseases. That is two million more children than in 2020, when COVID-19 caused lockdowns worldwide, and six million more than in 2019. According to new figures from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
UNICEF reports that the drop in vaccination rates is the “largest sustained vaccination drop in childhood in a generation”.
According to the UN children’s organization, the focus in 2021 was on COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, but also the pressure on healthcare and the weaker economy. All of those factors hindered a faster recovery for vaccinations, which could further worsen the situation in 2021.
Vaccination rates declined in every region, according to UNICEF and WHO figures. The figures are based on data on vaccinations against diphtheria, tetanus, measles and whooping cough, among other things. For many diseases, more than 90 percent of children need to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.
Increases in infections with vaccine-preventable diseases have already been reported in recent months. For example, there has been a 400 percent increase in measles cases in Africa this year.
The figures were calculated using data from national health systems in 177 countries.