Vaccine Campaigns Halt, Endangering Children Globally

    0
    0

    LONDON — Global child vaccination efforts have remained stagnant since 2010, leaving millions of young lives exposed to preventable illnesses such as tetanus, polio, and tuberculosis. From 2010 to 2019, there was a decline in protection against measles in 100 countries, reversing years of progress, even in affluent nations that had previously eradicated the disease, according to a recent analysis published in the Lancet journal.

    Helen Bedford, a children’s health professor at University College London, emphasized the significance of vaccines, stating they are second only to clean water in safeguarding children’s health. Despite not being involved in the study, she expressed concern about the increasing trend of parents forgoing vaccinations due to misinformation. In the UK, this has led to the most significant measles outbreak since the 1990s and resulted in nearly a dozen infant deaths from whooping cough. The U.S. is witnessing a similar scenario, with declining vaccination rates and a rise in exceptions.

    The global vaccination push began in earnest in 1974 when the World Health Organization launched its routine immunization program. The initiative successfully immunized over 4 billion children, saving 154 million lives worldwide. Remarkable progress was made, with coverage of the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine nearly doubling from 40% to 81%, and measles immunization escalating from 37% to 83%, accompanied by similar rises for polio and tuberculosis. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decline in vaccination rates. Approximately 15.6 million children missed out on receiving the diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough and measles vaccines, 16 million went without the polio vaccine, and 9 million did not receive the TB vaccine, heavily impacting sub-Saharan Africa. This study, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, sheds light on these trends.

    In response, the British government has pledged 1.25 billion pounds ($1.7 billion) from 2026 to 2030 to bolster Gavi’s efforts in providing vaccination to up to 500 million children in impoverished nations, aiming to prevent diseases like meningitis, cholera, and measles, potentially saving 8 million lives. Though this contribution is appreciated, it’s noted to fall short of the previous 1.65 billion pounds committed from 2020 to 2025. The analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington reveals that more than half of the 15.7 million unvaccinated children are concentrated in just eight countries: Nigeria, India, Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Indonesia, and Brazil.

    Recent decisions by President Trump to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO and scale back the U.S. Agency for International Development have sparked concern among public health professionals about possible outbreaks of infectious diseases. The study noted that it is still too early to determine the effects of recent funding reductions on the immunization landscape. The WHO reports an 11-fold increase in measles cases in the Americas compared to 2024 figures, with European infections doubling in 2024 relative to the previous year and the disease remaining persistent in Africa and Southeast Asia.

    Dr. David Elliman, a pediatrician advising the British government, highlighted the importance of vaccination, stating, “It is in everyone’s interest that this situation is rectified,” pointing out the global risk posed by vaccine-preventable diseases.