The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected routine childhood immunization, with most countries experiencing a decline in immunization rates. Right here in Canada, and in other high-income countries, reports have indicated that the pandemic has disrupted routine vaccinations.
It must be said that many public health measures, although necessary, have had multiple consequences in the lives of children and young people. Take the example of school closures. We all know the effects they have had on children’s lives: social isolation, increased anxiety, exposure to abuse and violence, etc. They have also deprived children of essential health and immunization services.
With preventative measures, such as physical and social distancing, many people may have been reluctant to seek care for fear of transmission or had difficulty accessing services due to lockdown measures.
A “perfect storm”
With essential vaccination campaigns having been postponed until 2021 in many countries, around 228 million people, mostly children, have been put at risk of contracting diseases such as yellow fever or poliomyelitis. This is also true for measles, whose cases reported worldwide increased by 79% in the first months of 2022. UNICEF and WHO have also issued a warning: the conditions are in place to create a “perfect storm” on that front.
The most vulnerable children are called “zero dose children”, meaning those who have not received any doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine. Zero-dose children are often the poorest and most marginalized, and are also less likely to receive other primary health care and vaccines against other life-threatening but preventable diseases, such as measles or meningitis.
A pre-pandemic analysis indicates that almost 50% of vaccine-preventable deaths occur in children at zero doses, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made access to vaccination even more difficult for them.
More than 50% of zero-dose children live in conflict-affected areas, remote areas or urban poverty. Among the countries with the most zero-dose children are the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Somalia… The current conflict in Ukraine is also another proof of how children born in the midst of conflict are at risk. not benefit from routine vaccinations. Due to low routine immunization rates, poliomyelitis re-emerged in Ukraine in 2021. This disease can cause permanent paralysis and even death. The epidemic recorded in Ukraine has exacerbated the difficulties facing the already fragile health system struggling with the double burden of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict.
Lessons from COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how interconnected our world is. A threat to a health system in any country is a threat to health systems globally. More than ever, we need joint efforts by the international community to prevent the resurgence of measles and other preventable diseases, because no one is safe until everyone is protected. At UNICEF, we know this better than anyone.
As the world’s largest vaccine procurement and delivery organization, UNICEF has been invited by international health partners to participate in global COVID-19 vaccine procurement and delivery efforts. By the end of March 2022, UNICEF had helped provide more than 1.4 billion doses of vaccine worldwide through the COVAX facility.
This would not have been possible without the support of partners and donors around the world, including the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada recently announced $220 million in additional funding to meet the COVID-19 vaccination needs of low-income countries. This additional funding has highlighted the importance of immunization for global health, but also the importance of strengthening health systems to ensure that everyone can be vaccinated.
The administration of a dose of vaccine in someone’s arm requires many tools and an entire health system: medical and nursing staff, cold room, protective equipment, etc. However, health systems around the world have been strained by the pandemic. We need everyone’s efforts to rebuild better and more resilient health systems and services. Vaccines have been effective and saving lives since 1796.