Unicef warned this Tuesday that around 2 million children are at risk of becoming fatally ill in Latin America and the Caribbean because they have not been vaccinated or have an incomplete schedule, despite the fact that the region has improved in the last year in terms of immunization coverage. .
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The United Nations Children’s Fund or Unicef pointed out that an estimated 2 million boys and girls in Latin America and the Caribbean did not receive one or more doses of the DPT (tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough) vaccine in 2022.
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Of these, around 800,000 have at least one dose of the vaccine, while almost 1.2 million did not receive a single one, the UNICEF regional office, located in Panama City, said in a statement. The figure of 1.2 million “zero dose” infants in 2022 is less than the 1.7 million registered in 2021, highlighted the world organization, which asserted that “many of these children live in the poorest communities of the region and have limited access to essential services.
“It is positive news that the number of ‘zero dose’ children in Latin America and the Caribbean has decreased by half a million this year. However, the worrying reality is that approximately 2 million children in the region continue to be susceptible to contracting life-threatening diseases,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Garry Conille.
He warned that “delaying vaccination” of children “only increases the probability of future outbreaks, putting them and the entire population at risk”, so “it is crucial” to continue “prioritizing and expediting vaccination efforts to guarantee health and safety” of children and communities.
Unicef specified that in 2022 the coverage of the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine among children under one year of age increased to 79% compared to 75% the previous year.
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“However, the region’s childhood vaccination rate is below the global average of 84%, and well below the coverage of more than 90% that the region achieved for years, before starting to regress in the last decade,” the world body said in its letter.
To continue expanding childhood vaccination coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNICEF reiterated its call to governments and allies to “urgently” identify and immunize all children, especially from the poorest households, indigenous and Afro-descendant children. who have not been vaccinated.
Also to prioritize the financing of immunization and primary health care services, build more resilient health systems by investing in health personnel, innovation and the production of vaccine supplies in the region, and reinforce demand of vaccines promoting trust, among other strategies.
2023-07-18 19:30:47
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