UNICEF: Public perception of vaccines for children declined between 2019 and 2021
confirmed UNICEF People around the world have lost confidence in the importance of routine vaccinations of children against deadly diseases such as measles and polio during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from WHO.
And she said United Nations agency In 52 of the 55 countries surveyed, public perception of vaccines for children declined between 2019 and 2021.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said the data was a “worrying warning signal” of increasing vaccine hesitancy amid misinformation, waning trust in governments and political polarization.
“We cannot allow trust in routine immunization to become yet another casualty of the pandemic,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. “Otherwise, the next wave of deaths could be among children with measles, diphtheria or other preventable diseases.”
The change in perception was particularly worrisome, the agency said, as it comes after the largest sustained decline in childhood immunization in a single generation during the COVID disruptions.
In total, 67 million children have missed out on one or more life-saving vaccines during the pandemic, and catch-up efforts have so far stalled despite the increase in the number of outbreaks.
