Why children aren't getting vaccinated anymore
Millions of children are skipping routine vaccinations, and the downward trend could continue in the coming years, according to a new global study.
Over the past half-century, routine immunisations against diseases like measles, polio, and tuberculosis (TB) have saved an estimated 154 million lives, mostly among children under the age of five, according to the report published in The Lancet medical journal.
But both wealthy and developing countries are now backsliding on vaccinations due to healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of vaccine misinformation, the study found. Experts believe recent cuts to global aid will make the situation worse.
The share of children who got the measles vaccine, for example, dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019, according to the analysis of 11 immunisations across 204 countries and territories.
The consequences can be fatal. Measles outbreaks in Europe and the United States have killed 17 people and sickened thousands of others over the past year.
'More children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed,' Andrew Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group and was not involved with the new study, said in a statement.
Millions of children went without routine jabs due to COVID-era disruptions between 2020 and 2023, the analysis found.
An estimated 15.6 million children missed a measles jab or the full three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, while 15.9 million did not get the polio vaccine and 9.18 million missed the TB jab.
By 2023, there were 15.7 million so-called 'zero-dose children' who likely had not gotten any vaccines, which is down from 58.8 million in 1980 but an increase from pre-pandemic levels, the study found.
Today, most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, though the European Union and the United Kingdom are home to more than 165,000 zero-dose children.
Vaccine coverage still falling
While vaccination rates tend to be higher in Europe, they are not immune to these trends.
Since 2010, vaccine coverage has fallen for at least one jab in 21 wealthy countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.
'The challenge now is how to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in areas of low coverage,' Emily Haeuser, the study's lead author and a researcher at the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said in a statement.
The findings also indicate that key global health targets will likely not be met. Health officials wanted to halve the number of zero-dose children between 2019 and 2030, but only 18 countries had met this threshold by 2023.
Health experts say recent cuts to global health funding could further undermine that goal.
'Around the world, the increasing number of countries torn apart by civil unrest and wars, combined with the drastic cuts in foreign aid from rich nations, such as USA and UK, makes it difficult to get vaccines to many populations,' David Elliman, an honorary associate professor at University College London who was not involved with the study, said in a statement.
Even so, researchers called for renewed investment in immunisation campaigns, as well as targeted efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation and initiatives to rebuild public trust in health authorities.
'It is in everyone's interest that this situation is rectified,' Elliman said. 'Not only is it a moral imperative to improve the health of all children [but also] no one is safe until everyone is safe'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Police seize €57 million in black market medicines, weight loss drugs
Police agencies worldwide seized $65 million (€57.2 million) worth of counterfeit or unapproved medicines in a major international bust that took aim at the deluge of cheap fakes sold online. Between December and May, authorities in 90 countries – including 16 in the European Union – confiscated 50.4 million doses of drugs that were either fake, misbranded, unapproved, or diverted, according to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), which coordinated the operation. In Europe, many of the seizures were for counterfeit or unapproved weight loss drugs and peptide supplements, which Interpol said reflects the surging popularity of 'cosmetic and performance-enhancing' pharmaceuticals. These drugs are so widely available online and on social media that police are having a hard time keeping up, Alfonso Mejuto Rodríguez, Interpol's pro tempore assistant director of criminal networks, told Euronews Health. 'It's not even necessary to go to the dark web [because] there are a lot of advertisements online,' Rodríguez said. The drugs are marketed as 'good for your health, good for your image,' he added. 'That is exactly the risk for human health, because when you buy them, you are not really sure what they contain'. The World Health Organization (WHO) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have both warned in recent years that the black market is flourishing for counterfeit semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in blockbuster anti-obesity and diabetes medicines such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Interpol said a single semaglutide pen can sell for hundreds of euros on the black market. Meanwhile, peptide seizures were relatively rare until recently. The agency said the uptick in Europe, North America, and Oceania reflects a rise in demand for supplements such as BPC-157, ipamorelin, and melanotan, which are unproven products sold illegally as wellness, anti-ageing, or cosmetic aids. Melanotan, for example, is a synthetic hormone designed to boost melanin production, giving people the appearance of tanned skin. Sometimes called the 'Barbie drug,' melanotan has taken off on platforms such as TikTok – but it is not regulated in Europe and health agencies have warned that it may cause serious health problems. 'With a lot of substances, the marketing is amplified by influencers, for instance in terms of health and culture,' Rodríguez said. Most commonly seized drugs Worldwide, the most commonly seized illicit pharmaceuticals were psychostimulants, anti-anxiety drugs, and Parkinson's disease medicines, followed by erectile dysfunction drugs, Interpol said. Other commonly seized counterfeit or otherwise illegal drugs include anabolic steroids, anti-smoking medicines, dermatological agents, health supplements, herbal products, and psychotropic medications for mental health conditions. Police also confiscated the opioid painkiller oxycodone in Bulgaria, France, Ireland, and Sweden. The sale of counterfeit medicines can have deadly consequences. In March, a 30-year-old man died after taking fake painkillers in the Netherlands, and last month, health authorities in Denmark warned that they were also circulating there. 'It seems that in the West, the demand for painkillers is rising… and criminals are taking advantage of it,' Rodríguez said. 13,000 websites, accounts shut down As part of the Interpol operation, nearly 800 suspects were arrested and 123 criminal groups were dismantled. Police also took down about 13,000 websites, social media accounts, and bots that advertised and sold illegal or counterfeit medicines online. Authorities in Ireland shuttered about 1,400 online listings for fake or illegal medicines, more than any other country except for Malaysia and Russia. Together with Singapore and Iran, the five countries accounted for 96 per cent of all listings that were taken down. Ireland also saw large seizures of illegal medicines, as did the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, according to Interpol. In Portugal, for example, police discovered anabolic steroids in eight prisons, which Interpol said was evidence of a criminal smuggling network. The agency noted that Europe-based criminals have easy access to the raw materials and infrastructure needed to run counterfeit drug production networks, meaning they can quickly adapt to changing trends and demand from consumers. 'It's a challenge for law enforcement agencies to follow this activity,' Rodríguez said.
Euronews
7 hours ago
- Euronews
Why children aren't getting vaccinated anymore
Millions of children are skipping routine vaccinations, and the downward trend could continue in the coming years, according to a new global study. Over the past half-century, routine immunisations against diseases like measles, polio, and tuberculosis (TB) have saved an estimated 154 million lives, mostly among children under the age of five, according to the report published in The Lancet medical journal. But both wealthy and developing countries are now backsliding on vaccinations due to healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of vaccine misinformation, the study found. Experts believe recent cuts to global aid will make the situation worse. The share of children who got the measles vaccine, for example, dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019, according to the analysis of 11 immunisations across 204 countries and territories. The consequences can be fatal. Measles outbreaks in Europe and the United States have killed 17 people and sickened thousands of others over the past year. 'More children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed,' Andrew Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group and was not involved with the new study, said in a statement. Millions of children went without routine jabs due to COVID-era disruptions between 2020 and 2023, the analysis found. An estimated 15.6 million children missed a measles jab or the full three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, while 15.9 million did not get the polio vaccine and 9.18 million missed the TB jab. By 2023, there were 15.7 million so-called 'zero-dose children' who likely had not gotten any vaccines, which is down from 58.8 million in 1980 but an increase from pre-pandemic levels, the study found. Today, most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, though the European Union and the United Kingdom are home to more than 165,000 zero-dose children. Vaccine coverage still falling While vaccination rates tend to be higher in Europe, they are not immune to these trends. Since 2010, vaccine coverage has fallen for at least one jab in 21 wealthy countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. 'The challenge now is how to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in areas of low coverage,' Emily Haeuser, the study's lead author and a researcher at the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said in a statement. The findings also indicate that key global health targets will likely not be met. Health officials wanted to halve the number of zero-dose children between 2019 and 2030, but only 18 countries had met this threshold by 2023. Health experts say recent cuts to global health funding could further undermine that goal. 'Around the world, the increasing number of countries torn apart by civil unrest and wars, combined with the drastic cuts in foreign aid from rich nations, such as USA and UK, makes it difficult to get vaccines to many populations,' David Elliman, an honorary associate professor at University College London who was not involved with the study, said in a statement. Even so, researchers called for renewed investment in immunisation campaigns, as well as targeted efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation and initiatives to rebuild public trust in health authorities. 'It is in everyone's interest that this situation is rectified,' Elliman said. 'Not only is it a moral imperative to improve the health of all children [but also] no one is safe until everyone is safe'.
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Euronews
Here's how to manage climate change anxiety
Anxiety, grief, anger, fear, helplessness. The emotional toll of climate change is broad-ranging, especially for young people. Many worry about what the future holds, and a daily grind of climate anxiety and distress can lead to sleeplessness, an inability to focus, and worse. Some young people wonder whether it's moral to bring children into the world. Many people grieve for the natural world. Activists, climate psychologists, and others in the fight against climate change have a range of ways to build resilience and help manage emotions. Some ideas: Get active in your community Feeling isolated? Find ways to connect with like-minded people and help nature, said US-based climate psychologist Laura Robinson. Work locally to convince more residents to give up grass lawns and increase biodiversity with native plants, for instance. Help establish new green spaces, join projects to protect water, develop wildlife corridors, or decrease pesticide use to save frogs, insects, and birds. Work to get the word out on turning down nighttime lighting to help birds and lightning bugs. 'I see people struggling with these emotions across the age range,' said Robinson. 'I have parents who are themselves really struggling with their own feelings and really worried about their children in the future'. Consider the idea of a 'positivity sandwich,' where you begin with a good piece of news, followed by a harder tidbit, then finish with a second feel-good story. Model behaviours for your kids Phoebe Yu, 39, gave up a cushy job in health technology to work on an MBA with a focus on sustainability. She started a business selling sponges made from the luffa gourd. And she does it all while raising her 6-year-old son with her husband in California. 'I am generally a very happy person and I'm very optimistic… but sometimes it becomes very difficult to manage,' she said. Part of managing her own emotions is trying to model sustainable behaviours for her son while educating him on the importance of helping the environment. The family drives an electric vehicle. They don't eat meat and have encouraged extended family to do the same. They recycle, compost, and limit travel by air. 'I try to explain things to my son so he can at least have some understanding of how the world and the ecosystem works as a whole,' Yu said. 'I do think kids are able to absorb that and turn that into some level of action'. Remember: We're all connected Britnee Reid teaches middle school science at a virtual public school in the US. Reid participated in a pilot project for a free teacher toolkit on climate put together by nongovernmental organisations that work on the emotional impacts of climate change. The kit is full of ways to help teachers support students' mental health and manage their own climate-related emotions. One of the exercises involves students documenting their interactions with the natural world in an environmental timeline. Laying it all out often stirs action, Reid said. 'They can be anxious, they can be angry, they can feel fearful, but they're like these go-getters of, 'I'm going to make the change in this world,'' she said. You're not one. You're many Climate scientist Kate Marvel, a physicist and author of the new book 'Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About our Changing Planet,' urges people to think differently about their place in preserving the environment. 'A lot of times, the anxiety and the hopelessness come from a feeling of powerlessness. And I don't think any of us [are] powerless,' she said. 'Collectively, we're incredibly powerful,' Marvel said.** 'I think you can have much more impact if you think of yourself as part of the collective'.
