UK health officials have warned that teenagers may be at risk of developing rare diseases as a result of reduced access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data indicates that during the period from 2021 to 2222, 69 percent of adolescents, aged between 13 and 14 years, received a preventive shot against tetanus, diphtheria and polio, a percentage that shows a decline of 7 percent compared to the previous year. Period.
Another vaccine against meningitis saw a similar decline.
Health authorities have urged parents to ensure their children have the latest due doses of vaccines before leaving school.
The UK’s Health Security Agency said many of those who missed out on vaccinations, due to schools being closed during the pandemic, have now been vaccinated.
However, vaccine coverage remains below pre-pandemic levels.
Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at the UK’s Health Security Agency, said children and adolescents who missed out on vaccinations should contact their school nurse, school immunization team or GP clinic to arrange a catch-up.
“These vaccines provide the best protection as young people begin their journey into adulthood and socialize more widely, whether that is through enrolling in university, starting work, traveling or participating in summer festivals,” she added.
Before the pandemic, the uptake rate for these vaccines was close to 88 per cent in England
The NHS gives a triple tetanus, diphtheria and polio booster shot, free of charge, to all 14-year-olds through their schools.
The dose is also given to infants at eight weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks, and before they start school, and all five doses are necessary to build long-lasting protection.
Health services provide the quadrivalent vaccine known as “MenACWY”, which provides protection against meningococcus, routinely for adolescents of the same age, but anyone under the age of 25 can still obtain it through his general practitioner, and this vaccine protects against four strains of meningitis;
Before the pandemic, the uptake of these vaccines was around 88 percent in England, but the latest data shows a decline from 2021 to 2022 to 69 percent for 13-14-year-olds.
The percentage among 14- and 15-year-olds in grade 10 in schools also increased to about 78 per cent, indicating that more children are getting missed doses.
UNICEF said that there are worrying signs about declining confidence in life-saving vaccines for children around the world.
Steve Russell, the national director of immunization and testing, said the vaccines were “very well researched” and proven effective in protecting against a range of serious diseases.
A vaccine against human papilloma virus (HPV) is also available in secondary schools, a vaccine that protects against a group of cancerous diseases.
He said: “We strongly urge those who are eligible for the vaccine and their family members and guardians to make sure that they have the latest doses, if they do not apply for their vaccines as soon as possible, as it is the best way to provide them with health protection.”
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that there are worrying signs of declining confidence in life-saving vaccines for children around the world, due in part to reluctance to obtain vaccines and misinformation.
2023-04-24 18:43:02
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