A World Health Organization and Unicef report shows that immunization services have recovered in many countries, including India, after Covid-19. But, poor countries are still lagging.
On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef reported that vaccination services had recovered in several countries, including India, following the COVID-19 pandemic, although certain low-income nations are still behind.
In low-income nations, vaccination coverage remains below pre-pandemic levels, placing children at risk of illness outbreaks.
In 2022, 20.5 million children missed one or more diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) immunizations, compared to 24.4 million in 2021.
14.3 million of the 20.5 million youngsters were zero-dose DTP recipients.
The projection is down from 2021’s 18.1 million zero-dose youngsters but up from 2019’s 12.9 million.
“These data are encouraging, and a tribute to those who have worked so hard to restore life-saving immunisation services after two years of sustained decline,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
Global and regional averages hide deep and persistent inequalities. He continued, “Children suffer when nations fall behind.”
Global immunisation is improving in a few nations.
Progress in well-resourced nations with large newborn populations, such India and Indonesia, belies slower recoveries or even ongoing decreases in most low-income countries, notably measles immunization.
15 nations returned to pre-pandemic levels, 24 are recovering, and 34 have stagnated or declined.
These worrying trends match other health measures.
Measles, one of the most contagious viruses, has not rebounded as well as other immunizations, putting 35.2 million children at danger.
First-dose measles coverage rose to 83% in 2022 from 81% in 2021 but remained below 2019’s 86%.
As a result, 21.9 million children missed their first measles vaccine last year, 2.7 million more than in 2019, and 13.3 million missed their second dose, putting children in under-vaccinated areas at risk of epidemics.
HPV vaccine coverage reached pre-pandemic levels.
Pre-pandemic HPV vaccination programs reached as many girls in 2022 as in 2019.
In 2019, HPV program coverage was considerably below the 90% objective, and in 2022, it was 67 percent in high-income countries and 55 percent in low- and middle-income nations.
Conclusion
After the COVID-19 pandemic, several countries, including India, have restored vaccination services, according to a WHO/Unicef study. Some low-income nations remain below pre-pandemic levels, placing children at danger of illness outbreaks. 20.5 million children missed DTP immunizations in 2022, compared to 24.4 million in 2021. 14.3 million were zero-dose DTP vaccination recipients. The evidence is promising, but continuing inequalities require immediate action. Global immunisation recovery has been centered in well-resourced nations with big baby populations.
