Disrupted vaccine programs could put millions of young children at risk: COVID-19 WHO briefing

May 23, 2020

South Sudanese health workers prepare to administer vaccination against measles to children during a campaign in Juba, South Sudan February 4, 2020.

South Sudanese health workers prepare to administer vaccination against measles to children during a campaign in Juba. Image: REUTERS/Samir Bol

Linda Lacina

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The World Health Organization held a media briefing on 22 May to update the public on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Data collected by a range of global health agencies shows that 80 million children aged 1 or younger could be at risk for vaccine preventable diseases thanks to disruptions to existing vaccination programs.

Eighty-million children, in both rich and poor countries around the world, could face infections from diseases such as measles and polio as resources are redirected at COVID-19 and existing vaccine programs are disrupted, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said at a briefing in Geneva on Friday.

According to data collected by the WHO, UNICEF, the Vaccine Alliance Gavi and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the impact is wide, affecting children under one-years-old in 68 countries.

More than half of the 129 countries where data were available reported moderate-to-severe disruptions, or a total suspension of vaccination services, between March and April of this year.

Vaccination programs have been disrupted for a number of reasons, including overwhelmed health systems or issues connected with grounded flights and broken supply chains. In other cases, parents might face stay-at-home orders or campaigns have been suspended altogether to maintain physical distancing.

“We cannot let our fight against one disease come at the expense of long-term progress in our fight against other diseases,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

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Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forum’s mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

Since its launch on 11 March, the Forum’s COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19.

The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched – bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

According to the data, measles campaigns have been suspended in 27 countries and polio vaccination campaigns have been put on hold in 38 countries.

“Transmission of pathogens cross borders mean that we're all at risk when when any country is at risk,” said Dr. Kate O'Brien, the WHO Director for Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.

Ensuring existing vaccination programs is key, said officials, since they could help with efforts to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine once it is available.

Disruptions could damage years of efforts in countries around the world, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO. “Disruption to immunization programmes from the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to unwind decades of progress against vaccine-preventable diseases like measles."

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