COVID-19 disrupts routine vaccination efforts leaving 80 million children under one at risk

With international attention firmly on COVID-19, today the World Health Organization calls for a joint effort to safely deliver routine immunization across the globe. 

According to data collected by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Gavi and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, provision of routine immunization services is substantially hindered in at least 68 countries and is likely to affect approximately 80 million children under the age of 1 living in these countries. Since March 2020, routine childhood immunization services have been disrupted on a global scale that may be unprecedented since the inception of expanded programs on immunization (EPI) in the 1970s. More than half (53%) of the 129 countries where data were available reported moderate-to-severe disruptions, or a total suspension of vaccination services during March-April 2020.

As an example of the threat, the WHO estimate there have been 113,000 cases of cholera reported in Yemen alone since January 2020. These figures present a stark warning to the international community about the very real threat of infectious disease present in at-risk geographies also confronting Covid-19.

“Immunization is one of the most powerful and fundamental disease prevention tools in the history of public health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Disruption to immunization programmes from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles.”

The cause of disrupted services varies from health workers being re-directed to Covid-19 response and reduced mobility, to a lack of PPE and disruption to the supply chain. In addition, even if vaccinations are available, some parents are reluctant to leave home because of restrictions on movement, lack of information or because they fear infection with the Covid-19 virus, making a strong case for clear and credible awareness information campaigns for at-risk communities.

“More children in more countries are now protected against more vaccine-preventable diseases than at any point in history,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, Gavi CEO. “Due to COVID-19 this immense progress is now under threat, risking the resurgence of diseases like measles and polio. Not only will maintaining immunization programmes prevent more outbreaks, it will also ensure we have the infrastructure we need to roll out an eventual COVID-19 vaccine on a global scale.”

Transport delays of vaccines are exacerbating the situation. UNICEF has reported a substantial delay in planned vaccine deliveries due to the lockdown measures and the ensuing decline in commercial flights and limited availability of charters. To help mitigate this, UNICEF is appealing to governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others, to free up freight space at an affordable cost for these life-saving vaccines.

“We cannot let our fight against one disease come at the expense of long-term progress in our fight against other diseases,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “We have effective vaccines against measles, polio and cholera. While circumstances may require us to temporarily pause some immunization efforts, these immunizations must restart as soon as possible, or we risk exchanging one deadly outbreak for another.”

To find out how to answer UNICEF’s call for help in transporting vaccines you can contact:

James Fulker, Gavi Geneva, +41 79 429 55 05, jfulker@gavi.org

Sabrina Sidhu, UNICEF New York, +19174761537, ssidhu@unicef.org

Diane Abad-Vergara, WHO, +41 (0)79 200 5878, abadvergarad@who.int