The loss in childhood immunization coverage during the Covid-19 pandemic combined with slow catch-up efforts since 2020 has resulted in millions of children who are not immunized. These children are at risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, outbreaks and death, and their numbers are growing.
According to 2021 data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an estimated 3.4 million children were never vaccinated in the East Asia and Pacific region, partly because of the pandemic.
We must play catch-up and reach all those children who missed their vaccinations during the pandemic. By doing this, we will build back their immunity, save lives, protect their future and reduce the risk of outbreaks and epidemics – not just for individuals, but for communities at large.
We must restore current vaccination rates to at least pre-pandemic levels for children born now. We cannot risk leaving them exposed to vaccine preventable diseases.
And we also need to strengthen immunization systems and make them more resilient and inclusive, so that we can quickly and consistently reach all zero-dose children – children who have not received a single dose of any life-saving vaccine.
Even before the pandemic, health systems were suffering from lack of skilled health workers and limited essential supplies and equipment. The pandemic exacerbated these challenges and exposed gaps in the health systems, but it also showed that health systems can be galvanized to immunize whole populations within a tight timeframe.
We must build on this momentum and use the strengthened systems built for Covid-19 vaccinations to reach out and immunize all the children who have missed and are still missing essential, life-saving vaccines.
World Immunization Week (April 24 to 30) is an annual reminder that the benefits of child immunization are undeniable. Vaccines remain among the world’s most impactful and cost-effective public health tools.
Immunization allows children everywhere to live lives free of many forms of disability. We have celebrated the eradication of smallpox, a fatal disease that claimed an estimated 300 million lives.
There has been remarkable progress in eradicating polio as well. These successes make us hopeful and confident that we can achieve more childhood immunization goals.
However, to catch up, restore and strengthen immunization, we need strong and long-term political will – globally, regionally and nationally – to vaccinate and protect every child in East Asia and Pacific against vaccine-preventable diseases and death.