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The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years has been recorded in official data published by WHO and UNICEF.
Prof Helen Bedford, Professor of Children’s Health, UCL, said:
“Immunisation services are often an early casualty in times of social or economic disruption, and it was clear that the COVID pandemic would have a major impact. This is particularly tragic as tremendous progress was made in the two decades before the COVID pandemic to improve childhood vaccination rates globally, with an estimated 23.2 million deaths prevented through use of measles vaccine. So, the news that 6 million more children missed out on one or more vaccines in 2021 compared with 2019, bringing the total to 25 million, is shocking but sadly not surprising. Although the impact on children in the UK is likely to be less devastating than for children in low income countries, where the combined effect of malnutrition and lack of vaccination is likely to result in many deaths, we are not immune from the consequences of fallen vaccination rates. Currently, we are not seeing outbreaks but diseases like measles are waiting in the wings and unless we increase vaccine uptake, they are inevitable. Now is the time to increase our opportunities to ensure all children and young people are up to date with their vaccines. It is never too late to be vaccinated.”
Dr David Elliman, consultant paediatrician at Great Ormond Street Hospital, said:
“This is terrible news, but sadly not entirely unexpected. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health care, in various ways, all around the world, including in UK. Immunisation is the most cost-effective medical intervention we have and it is important we do our utmost to help reverse this decline in uptake. As regards communicable diseases, such as those we immunise against, the effects of what happens in one part of the world can ripple out to affect the whole globe. COVID-19 has highlighted this in a very dramatic way, as has the worrying presence of poliovirus in sewage outlets and the rapid spread of monkeypox. In our efforts to restore health services and organise catch-ups, not only must we not forget immunisation and surveillance systems, but whether we act on the basis of ethics or ‘enlightened self interest’, we must put them top of our list of priorities.
“In many parts of the world, this must form part of a comprehensive package which also includes, amongst other things, adequate nutrition and clean water. Children are our future and once again we are seeing them suffer disproportionately.”
Declared interests
Prof Helen Bedford: “No conflicts of interest.”
For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.