UN sounds alert on child vaccination rate decline

NEW YORK • Increased misinformation and the disruption of global supply chains due to Covid-19 are behind the biggest sustained drop in childhood vaccinations in three decades, a United Nations report has said.

The percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) fell five percentage points between 2019 and last year to 81 per cent, according to official data published by the World Health Organisation and Unicef on Thursday.

This vaccine is used as a marker for immunisation coverage within and across countries.

Unicef executive director Catherine Russell said the slide "is a red alert for child health".

"We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives," she added.

About 25 million children missed out on one or more doses of DTP last year, two million more than those who missed out in 2020, putting a growing number of children at risk from preventable disease.

The slide was attributed to multiple factors, including an increased number of children living in conflict zones, rising misinformation and service and supply disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Of the 25 million, 18 million did not receive a single dose of DTP last year, "the vast majority of whom live in low-and middle-income countries", a statement said.

India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines recorded the highest numbers of zero-dose children.

Around the world, a quarter of the coverage of human papillomavirus vaccines achieved in 2019 has been lost, a blow in the fight against cervical cancers.

First-dose measles coverage dropped to 81 per cent last year, also the lowest level since 2008.

Declines were seen in every region, though some countries, including Uganda and Pakistan, bucked the negative trend.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE