“At the peak of the pandemic, scientists rapidly developed vaccines that have saved countless lives, but despite this historic achievement, fear and misinformation about vaccines of all kinds reigned supreme,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. Circulated like a virus. “He said,” These figures are a worrying warning sign.
New Delhi: UNICEF says that there are 2.7 million children in India who have not been given even a single routine dose of vaccine. UNICEF also said that India is among 55 countries where the perception of the importance of vaccines remained strong or improved after the COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF health expert Vivek Virender Singh said that 50 per cent of unvaccinated children are in 143 districts in 11 states. He added that unvaccinated populations may be at risk in the future due to their low immunity levels. He said, “The remaining unvaccinated children are deprived because the information has not reached properly or there are some apprehensions. Maybe there are assumptions about the adverse situation after vaccination.
UNICEF said, "The number of children without food increased to 3 million during the pandemic, but the number of such children has come down to 2.7 million between 2020 and 2021 in India, due to strong political commitment and sustained awareness campaigns." These include various campaigns, including the fourth Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) launched by the government, and the sustained provision of comprehensive primary health care services, he said. UNICEF, in its annual report on immunization, states that Between 2019 and 2021, 67 million children worldwide were left out of vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic, while coverage levels are declining in 112 countries.
Measles disease increased in 2022
According to the report, in 2022, the number of measles cases was more than double the total number of the previous year. Last year there was a 16 per cent increase in the number of children affected by polio. The report noted that there was an eight-fold increase in the number of children paralyzed by polio in the period 2019 to 2021 when compared to the three years prior to that, highlighting the need to ensure sustained vaccination efforts. "Vaccination for every child shows that perceptions about the importance of vaccines for children increased by more than a third in South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Senegal and Japan after the start of the pandemic," the report said. According to data collected by The Vaccine Confidence Project and published by UNICEF, China, India and Mexico were the only countries where the data indicated that perceptions about the importance of vaccines have remained stable or improved. .
Immunization situation is bad in 55 countries
"In most countries, men and women under the age of 35 lacked confidence in children's vaccines following the start of the pandemic," UNICEF said. Of the 55 countries studied, the report said In almost half of the countries, more than 80 percent of participants considered vaccines to be important for children, yet their confidence in children being vaccinated was shaken. However, the report cautioned that a number of factors suggest that vaccine reluctance is growing, including uncertainty over how to handle the pandemic, increased access to misinformation, loss of trust in expert information, and political polarization. Are included.
“At the peak of the pandemic, scientists rapidly developed vaccines that have saved countless lives, but despite this historic achievement, fear and misinformation about vaccines of all kinds reigned supreme,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director. spread like a virus.