The percentage of children who received three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine fell by five percentage points between 2019 and 2021 to 81%, according to official figures released on Thursday by the WHO and UNICEF. This vaccine is used as an indicator for immunization coverage within and between countries. Catherine Russell, UNICEF’s executive director, said the transparency “is a red alert for children’s health”. “We are witnessing the largest sustained decline in childhood vaccination in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” he added. About 25 million children missed one or more doses of DTP in 2021, two million more than those who missed in 2020 and six million more than in 2019, putting a growing number of children at risk of preventable diseases. The transparency was attributed to several factors, including the increased number of children living in conflict zones, increasing misinformation and service and supply disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, and lockdowns that limited outreach campaigns. The pandemic has “forced parents and families to choose between putting food on the table and vaccinating their children,” said Kate O’Brien, director of WHO’s division of immunisation, vaccines and biologicals. Of the 25 million, 18 million did not receive a single dose of DTP during 2021, “the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income countries,” it said in a statement. Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria and the Philippines recorded the highest number of zero dose children. Worldwide, a quarter of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage achieved in 2019 has been missed, a blow to the battle against cervical cancers. Only 12 percent of girls are fully protected, despite the first vaccines being licensed more than 15 years ago. Observers had hoped that 2021 would be a year of recovery after the 2020 lockdowns – but instead it was the worst year for DTP coverage since 2008 and came against a backdrop of rising rates of severe acute malnutrition. “The convergence of a hunger crisis with a growing vaccination gap threatens to create the conditions for a child survival crisis,” the statement said. Coverage of the first dose of measles fell to 81 percent in 2021, also the lowest level since 2008. Decreases were seen in every region, although some countries, including Pakistan and Uganda, broke the negative trend. World organizations have called on countries to step up their vaccination efforts. Detailed data sets are accessible on the UNICEF and WHO websites. © Agence France-Presse
