WHO warns of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases

WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, the vaccine alliance, are concerned that immunization efforts are increasingly threatened by misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises and funding cuts, affecting millions of children, adolescents and adults.

Medical staff give malaria vaccine to children in Uganda. Photo: Xinhua

Measles is making a comeback as cases have increased since 2021, partly due to the impact of vaccination during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of cases is estimated to reach 10.3 million in 2023, up 20% from 2022.

This trend is likely to continue into 2025, as outbreaks increase worldwide . In the past 12 months, 138 countries reported measles cases, with 61 countries experiencing major outbreaks.

Meningitis cases in Africa are also expected to increase sharply in 2024 and continue to increase in 2025. In the first three months of this year alone, more than 5,500 suspected cases and nearly 300 deaths were reported in 22 countries.

Yellow fever cases are also on the rise in Africa, with 124 confirmed cases in 12 countries in 2024. The Americas region has also seen outbreaks since the beginning of the year, with a total of 131 cases in four countries.

Overall, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are on the rise globally, while diseases such as diphtheria, long controlled or virtually eliminated in many countries, are also at risk of resurgence.

These outbreaks come amid cuts in global health funding. Nearly half of low- and lower-middle-income countries are facing disruptions to vaccination campaigns and access to supplies, the WHO said. Surveillance for diseases, including vaccine-preventable diseases, has also been affected in more than half of countries.

The number of children missing out on routine vaccinations has also increased in recent years, with an estimated 14.5 million cases in 2023, up from 13.9 million cases recorded the previous year. More than half of these children live in fragile states where access to basic health care is often disrupted.

In response, UNICEF, WHO and Gavi are calling for urgent and sustained investment to scale up immunization programmes and protect the remarkable progress made in reducing child mortality over the past 50 years.

Continued investment in the “Big Catch-Up Initiative” announced in 2023 to support unvaccinated children during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as other routine immunization programmes, is considered crucial.

According to hanoimoi.vn

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202504/who-canh-bao-bung-phat-nhung-benh-co-the-phong-ngua-bang-vac-xin-1562ea2/