Let’s Catch Up On Shots

 

As we have noted previously on The PediaBlog, routine vaccination coverage fell considerably in the United States and around the world during the pandemic, putting millions of children at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.

According to data published earlier this month, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) found that global vaccine coverage for infants hit a 13-year low:

In 2021, the estimated global coverage with 3 doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis–containing vaccine as well as the first dose of measles-containing vaccine decreased to 81%, the lowest level since 2008. Globally, 25.0 million children were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated in 2021, 5.9 million more than in 2019.

 

Other critical vaccines that protect children’s health and save lives were also neglected in 2020 and 2021, reports Rose Weldon:

Global coverage decreased across the board for the bacille Calmette-Guerin vaccine, rubella-containing vaccine, hepatitis B virus birth dose vaccine, the complete Haemophilus influenzae type b series vaccine, and the three-dose HBV series.

The rate of first dose of HPV vaccine among females declined from 20% in 2019 to 15% last year.

 

Global lockdowns during the pandemic explain only part of the problem:

The declines, the authors emphasized, were likely a result of the strain placed on health systems and providers by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These stresses have led to challenges with supply chains, human resources and financing,” they wrote. “Increasing vaccine misinformation, disinformation and hesitancy also likely contributed to declines in some countries. The risk of vaccine-preventable diseases outbreaks is likely to persist if urgent action is not taken to recover immunization program losses.”

 

Pediatricians everywhere have a lot of catching up to do. If your child is due for a shot, call the pediatrician’s office to schedule a convenient time to come in so we can work together to make sure they stay protected against some pretty nasty infections. And make sure shots for influenza and COVID-19 are included in the plan to stay safe this fall and winter.

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/11/22/lets-catch-up-on-shots/