WHO expresses concern children missing doses against COVID -19

GENEVA (AA) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that more than 20 million children missed one or more vaccine doses against COVID -19 last year.

Another 15 million children skipped vaccination altogether.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said in Geneva that 4 million more children were vaccinated against COVID -19 in 2022.

He said that while this is encouraging news, many more children have chosen not to be vaccinated or have missed out.

“This is encouraging news, but large gaps remain, and global and regional averages mask severe and persistent inequities, especially in low-income countries,” he added.

He said the U.N. health agency and governments around the world are still falling short of goals for vaccinating children against measles, yellow fever and other diseases.

“We’re still falling behind on our targets for reaching children with measles, HPV, yellow fever, and many other vaccines, and risking outbreaks and suffering as a result of diseases that can be easily prevented,” he said.

Only 15 of the 75 countries with significant immunization losses have recovered to pre-pandemic levels, he noted, adding that the rest are stagnant or declining further.

“Most concerning is that low-income countries have yet to show signs of recovery,” he said, drawing global attention to the issue.

Referring to the current heat wave, especially in Europe, Ghebreyesus said this is having an impact on the elderly, infants and children.

He pointed out that WHO, in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organization, is helping countries develop action plans to combat the heat.