WORLD NEWS | India among countries with highest vaccine confidence: UNICEF report

New Delhi [India]20 April (ANI): On Thursday, UNICEF India launched the agency’s global flagship report, The State of the World’s Children 2023: Vaccinating Every Child, highlighting the importance of childhood immunization.

Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF India Representative, said The World’s Children Report 2023 highlights India as one of the countries with the highest vaccine confidence in the world, “The State of the World’s Children 2023 highlights India as the country with the highest vaccine confidence One of the largest countries in the world. This is a recognition of the political and social commitment of the Indian government and shows that the #largestvaccinesdrive during the pandemic has paid off in building confidence and strengthening the routine immunization system to vaccinate every child.”

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“Immunization is one of humanity’s greatest success stories, enabling children to live healthy lives and contribute to society. Getting the last child vaccinated is a key marker of equity, and it benefits not only children but also The entire community. Routine immunization and strong health systems can best prepare us to prevent future epidemics and reduce morbidity and mortality,” added McCaffrey

According to new data collected by the Vaccine Confidence Project (London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) and published by UNICEF, the report shows that, apart from China, India and Mexico, only China, India and Mexico are generally of the same importance for childhood vaccines. Perceptions remained the same or improved in 55 countries studied.

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Although more than a third of the countries studied (such as the Republic of Korea, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Senegal, and Japan) experienced a decline in vaccine confidence after the start of the pandemic. The report warns of a growing threat of vaccine hesitancy due to factors including access to misleading information and declining trust in vaccine efficacy.

The biggest sustained decline in childhood immunization in 30 years comes as global confidence in vaccines falls, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has disrupted childhood vaccinations almost everywhere, notably due to strong demands on health systems, diversion of immunization resources to COVID-19 vaccination, health worker shortages and stay-at-home measures.

The report also mentioned that a total of 67 million children have missed vaccinations from 2019 to 2021. “A total of 67 million children missed out on vaccinations between 2019 and 2021, and 112 countries experienced a decline in vaccination coverage levels. In 2022, for example, the number of measles cases more than doubled the previous year’s total. In 2022 due to polio The number of children paralyzed by polio increased by 16% year-on-year. Compared with the previous three years, the number of children paralyzed by polio increased eightfold between 2019 and 2021 – a one-year period, highlighting the importance of ensuring vaccination. The need for continued work,” the report warned.

“While the number of zero-dose (unexposed or missed) children increased to 3 million between 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic, India was able to halt the regression and reduce the number to 2.7 million, representing Largest birth cohort in the world, India – a small proportion of the population of children under the age of 5. This achievement can be attributed to the continued evidence-based catch-up campaign launched by the government, including the Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI), to continue to provide comprehensive primary health Health services, strong routine immunization programs and dedicated health workers. Continued progress is being made to reach the last mile and last child,” read a statement issued by UNICEF.

“New data produced for the report by the Center for International Health Equity found that one in five children in the poorest households received a zero dose of the vaccine, compared with one in 20 in the wealthiest households The study finds that unvaccinated children often have a tough life – in rural areas or in communities such as urban slums. Their mothers often cannot go to school and have little voice in household decision-making. These challenges are greatest in low- and middle-income countries, Approximately 1 in 10 children in urban areas and 1 in 6 children in rural areas are zero-dose. In upper-middle-income countries, there is little disparity between urban and rural children,” the statement added. (Arnie)

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