Millions of children didn’t receive routine vaccinations during the coronavirus pandemic. How does that impact global health?
This week marks World Immunization Week, which is celebrated during the last week of April. And this year’s theme is called “The Big Catch Up.”
The name underscores the challenge: in the last three years, 67 million children missed out on one or more vaccinations due to the pandemic lockdown according to a UNICEF report. The World Health Organization is working to ensure more people are protected from preventable diseases.
Joining the discussion:
- Dr. William Haseltine, Chair and President of ACCESS Health International and author of the book “Variants! The Shape-Shifting Challenge of Covid-19 Vaccine Evasion Reinfection.”
- Paula Reges is a physician on infectious diseases at Fiocruz, a leading research institution in Brazil.
- Chris Smith is a Medical Consultant and Clinical Virologist at the University of Cambridge.
- Bharat Pankhania is Senior Clinical Lecturer at University of Exeter Medical School.
In 2021, around the world:
❌ 25 million children missed at least 1 essential vaccine
❌ 18 million children received no vaccines at allNow is the time for ‘The Big Catch-up’ to get vaccinations back on track. #VaccinesWork
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 24, 2023
The pandemic resulted in millions of children missing out on essential vaccines, putting their health & future at risk.
This #WorldImmunizationWeek, @WHO says urgent action is needed to protect all children from preventable diseases.https://t.co/51Z5H904oy #VaccinesWork pic.twitter.com/MwLnpVbIJO
— United Nations (@UN) April 24, 2023