Risk of outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases is highest in 30 years, says PAHO director

The risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in the Americas is at a 30-year high due to declining immunization coverage. The alert was issued by the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Jarbas Barbosa.

Although the Americas were the first region in the world to eliminate polio in 1994 and have historically been world leaders in disease control and elimination, “national immunization programs have suffered numerous losses over the past decade,” Jarbas said. Barbosa during a press interview.

A new report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), released this week, brought an alert about the vaccination of children in the world. Of the 55 countries analyzed, 52 had a drop in vaccination coverage. As a result, 67 million children failed to be fully or partially immunized in the last three years.

In Brazil, almost 26% of the child population did not receive any vaccine dose in 2021. In Angola, the number reaches 43%. The African country leads in vaccination disparity between children living in the city and those living in the countryside. In rural areas, 50% of children have never been immunized.

Inadequate funding for immunization and increased hesitation regarding vaccines due to misinformation have been some of the main factors for the drop in coverage, further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, assesses PAHO.

Currently, the Americas region is the second in the world with the worst vaccination coverage. About 2.7 million children did not receive all doses in 2021, leaving them without complete protection against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Two countries – Brazil and Mexico – account for more than 50% of children who have never received a vaccine in the region.

Failure to effectively implement and maintain routine immunization coverage leaves children “susceptible to diseases such as polio, tetanus, measles and diphtheria,” said Barbosa.

“National immunization programs are our first line of defense against outbreaks,” said Barbosa. “But each of us can do our part to protect ourselves and our loved ones. And we can start getting vaccinated this Vaccination Week in the Americas.”

Vaccination Week in the Americas takes place from April 22 to 29, with the aim of stimulating efforts to recover vaccination coverage rates in countries.