Now is the time to catch up on vaccinations

As students head back to school that means it’s time for parents to make sure that your children are properly vaccinated. Unfortunately, recent controversy surrounding COVID-19 shots has led many to decide not to have themselves and their children vaccinated, which is why would like to take this time during National Immunization Month to remind readers of the importance of routine vaccinations, not only for COVID but other diseases.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, global childhood vaccinations have experienced the largest sustained decline in about 30 years.

Data collected by the WHO and the United Nations children’s charity UNICEF showed the percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a marker for immunization coverage within and across countries – fell 5 percentage points between 2019 and 2021 to 81%.

As a result, 25 million children missed out on one or more doses of DTP through routine immunization services in 2021 alone. This is 2 million more than those who missed out in 2020 and 6 million more than in 2019, highlighting the growing number of children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases.

“This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunization in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.

According to the WHO and UNICEF, monumental efforts will be required to reach universal levels of coverage and to prevent outbreaks.

Inadequate coverage levels have already resulted in avoidable outbreaks of measles and polio in the past 12 months. The WHO and UNICEF data shows that nearly 25 million children missed their first measles dose in 2021, 5 million more than in 2019. Between January and April 2022, nearly 50,000 measles cases were reported worldwide — more than double the number of cases reported during the first 4 months of 2021

The WHO and UNICEF also found alarming drops in the number of girls receiving the vaccine against human papillomavirus, a pathogen that can lead to cervical cancer later in life. Globally, over a quarter of the coverage of HPV vaccines that was achieved in 2019 has been lost. This has grave consequences for the health of women and girls, as global coverage of the first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is only 15%, despite the first vaccines being licensed over 15 years ago.

Immunizations are not just for children. Protection from some childhood vaccines can wear off over time. You may also be at risk for vaccine-preventable disease due to your age, job, lifestyle, travel, or health conditions. All adults need immunizations to help them prevent getting and spreading serious diseases that could result in poor health, missed work, medical bills, and not being able to care for family.

All adults should consider a COVID-19 vaccine and a yearly influenza vaccine. Every adult should also get the Tdap vaccine once if they did not receive it as an adolescent to protect against pertussis, and then a Td (tetanus, diphtheria) booster shot every 10 years. Talk with your doctor to find out which additional vaccines, such as Shingles and Pneumococcal, might be recommended.

Northeast Colorado Health Department can provide immunizations to children with Medicaid and for children that are uninsured. Immunization clinics for Logan County are held on Mondays. Call 970-522-3741 to schedule an appointment.

Now more than ever vaccinations should not be pushed aside. Help protect and save lives by making sure immunizations are up to date.