Child vaccine coverage faltering, threatening millions: study
Efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases are faltering across the world due to economic inequality, Covid-era disruptions and misinformation, putting millions of lives at risk, research warned Wednesday.
These trends all increase the threat of future outbreaks of preventable diseases, the researchers said, while sweeping foreign aid cuts threaten previous progress in vaccinating the world's children.
A new study published in The Lancet journal looked at childhood vaccination rates across 204 countries and territories.
It was not all bad news.
An immunisation programme by the World Health Organization was estimated to have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the last 50 years.
And vaccination coverage against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled between 1980 and 2023, the international team of researchers found.
However the gains slowed in the 2010s, when measles vaccinations decreased in around half of the countries, with the largest drop in Latin America.
Meanwhile in more than half of all high-income countries there were declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
Routine vaccination services were hugely disrupted during lockdowns and other measures, resulting in nearly 13 million extra children who never received any vaccine dose between 2020 to 2023, the study said.
This disparity endured, particularly in poorer countries. In 2023, more than half of the world's 15.7 million completely unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study.
In the European Union, 10 times more measles cases were recorded last year compared to 2023.
In the United States, a measles outbreak surged past 1,000 cases across 30 states last month, which is already more than were recorded in all of 2024.
Cases of polio, long eradicated in many areas thanks to vaccination, have been rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Papua New Guinea is currently enduring a polio outbreak.
- 'Tragedy' -
"Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available," said senior study author Jonathan Mosser of the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
"But persistent global inequalities, challenges from the Covid pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress," he said in a statement.
In addition, there are "rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, climate crises," added lead study author Emily Haeuser, also from the IHME.
The researchers warned the setbacks could threaten the WHO's goal of having 90 percent of the world's children and adolescents receive essential vaccines by 2030.
The WHO also aims to halve the number of children who have received no vaccine doses by 2030 compared to 2019 levels.
Just 18 countries have achieved this so far, according to the study, which was funded by the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance.
The global health community has also been reeling since President Donald Trump's administration drastically slashed US international aid earlier this year.
"For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid," Bill Gates said in a separate statement on Tuesday.
"That is a tragedy," the Microsoft co-founder said, committing $1.6 billion to Gavi, which is holding a fund-raising summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
dl/yad
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A woman did yoga every day for 5 years. Here's how her body and diet changed.
A woman restricted what she ate and went to the gym out of obligation, but she didn't enjoy it. An online yoga workout was the catalyst for her changing her attitude toward exercise and food. Five years later, she can do a pull-up and enjoys eating nutritious whole foods. Klavdiya Finogina can do a pull-up, eats nutritious whole foods, and meditates daily — but she never set out to lead such a healthy lifestyle. It started with a 20-minute yoga class in 2020. Like many young women, Finogina, a 25-year-old freelance photographer in Toronto, felt pressure to work out to look a certain way and restricted her diet in the hope of looking thin and "toned." Before the COVID pandemic, she went to the gym once or twice a week, where she used leg, arm, and core machines, but she didn't enjoy it. "It was very passive, mostly just out of obligation. There was no passion involved," Finogina told Business Insider. But when lockdown hit, she switched to doing home workouts, mainly 20-minute abs-focused videos. One day, she stumbled across a yoga channel and selected a video, and something clicked. "It seemed challenging enough and also fun because it wasn't just a repetition, it was kind of a flow," she said. It featured elements such as balance, coordination, and flexibility that she said her previous workouts were missing. Finogina was having fun and wanted to get better at yoga, so, inspired by a YouTube video about building new habits, she committed to doing 50 consecutive days of at-home yoga workouts. She felt more coordinated, and it boosted her mood. "I really got sort of addicted to the lifestyle of moving every day, where that wasn't the norm for me before," she said. Five years later, it's a daily habit that she said has transformed her body and helped her change her relationship with body image, exercise, and diet, she said. Her experience chimes with advice from personal trainers who recommend choosing a form of physical activity that you actually enjoy if you want to build a sustainable workout routine. Sohee Lee, a personal trainer, previously told BI that "it's important that you're enjoying the exercise you do" as it's hard to do something consistently if it feels like a chore or punishment. Without intending to, Finogina has helped build her strength and muscle with yoga. "I definitely look more powerful. I have a lot more defined muscle," she said. But she measures progress according to the poses she can do, not what her body looks like. Muscle mass is important for metabolic health and helps keep us strong and mobile. By the age of 30, we start to naturally lose muscle mass, but strength training can help us live healthier for longer. More intense forms of yoga, such as vinyasa or ashtanga, can count as strength training. Over time, Finogina selected more advanced workouts that included inversions, poses in which your heart is above your head, such as handstands, headstands, and arm balances like crow pose, which require good balance and coordination. "I wasn't yet capable, it was just a fun challenge," she said. With lots of repetition, Finogina got strong enough to hold these poses and felt motivated to add calisthenics and bodyweight exercises such as push-ups to her repertoire. "I recently got my first pull-up," she said. "That was something I had never thought I could do." Daily movement made Finogina feel more in touch with her body, including noticing whether a meal left her feeling full, energetic, and light or heavy and sluggish. She described her past relationship with food as unhealthy, and she was filled with guilt if she ate "too much" or had foods she thought she "shouldn't." Now she eats more intuitively and gravitates toward whole foods and larger portions. "When I work out a lot, I eat a lot, and I let myself do that," she said. She's found that whole grains, beans, and nuts make her feel most energized. These foods are features of the Mediterranean diet, which has been voted the healthiest way to eat for eight years running. In the past, the only reason Finogina exercised was for aesthetics. Now she loves exercising because it gives her an opportunity to connect with her body and let loose. "It's like having a dog in a way, just let it run, just let it have fun," she said. This shift has helped her let go of the beauty ideal she used to strive for and appreciate her body as it is. "With yoga, I kind of got familiar with my body," she said, "and my body had the opportunity to be itself and express itself." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
US to stop financial support of global vaccine alliance Gavi, health secretary says
By Mariam Sunny and Jennifer Rigby (Reuters) -The U.S. will no longer contribute funding to Gavi, a global alliance that helps buy vaccines for the world's poorest children, because it ignores safety, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday, without providing evidence. In a video statement seen by Reuters and shown at a Gavi fundraising event in Brussels, Kennedy - a long-time vaccine skeptic - also accused Gavi of making questionable recommendations around COVID-19 vaccines, and raised concerns about the DTPw (diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis) vaccine. Gavi said in a statement that safety was key, and that it acts in line with World Health Organization recommendations. It has full confidence in the DTPw vaccine, which has contributed to halving child mortality in the countries it supports since 2000, the statement continued. "I call on Gavi today to re-earn the public trust, and to justify the $8 billion that America has provided in funding since 2001," Kennedy said in the video, saying Gavi should consider all available science. "Until that happens, the United States won't contribute more," he said. The details of the video were first reported by Politico. Gavi said it "fully concurs with the Secretary for Health and Human Services on the need to consider all available science, and remains committed to continuing an evidence-based and scientific approach to its work and investment decisions, as it always has done." Gavi leaders, donors and countries it works with are in Brussels for the organization's pledging summit, where the alliance aims to raise $9 billion for its work from 2026-30. Kennedy said in the video that he admired much of Gavi's work, particularly its efforts to make medicines affordable worldwide. "Unfortunately, in its zeal to promote universal vaccination, it has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety," he added. "Gavi's utmost concern is the health and safety of children," the group's statement responded. Several key figures also defended Gavi's commitment to safety in speeches at the summit, including its board Chair Jose Manuel Barroso and Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, which is hosting the summit alongside the European Union. "Gavi prioritizes saving lives, and it's done with incredible scientific rigor," said Gates. "We're constantly looking at safety." The Trump administration has previously indicated that it planned to cut its funding for Gavi, around $300 million annually, as part of a wider pullback from international aid. President Donald Trump's nominee for director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, was asked about the Gavi decision at a Senate hearing on Wednesday. "I believe the global health security preparedness is a critical and vital activity for the United States," she said. "I think that we need to continue to support promotion of utilization of vaccines," she continued, adding that she was not involved in that decision-making and would look into it if confirmed. Other donors, including Germany, Norway, and the Gates Foundation, have already pledged money in recent days for Gavi's future work.
Health Line
2 hours ago
- Health Line
How Does Cannabis Compare to Alcohol?
Cannabis tends to come with fewer risks than alcohol, but there are a lot of factors to consider. They're unique substances that produce different effects, which makes side-by-side comparisons difficult. We've rounded up the basic effects and risks associated with each substance to see how they measure up to each other. Things to keep in mind Before getting into the specifics of alcohol and cannabis, it's important to understand some of the factors that make the comparison tricky. Lack of research Researchers know much more about alcohol than they do about cannabis. Sure, research on the topic is ramping up a bit, but there's still a lack of large, long-term studies. Cannabis may appear to be safer than alcohol simply because researchers aren't yet aware of certain risks. Variety of products There are countless cannabis products on the market and a number of consumption options, from vaping to edibles. The way you consume cannabis can have a big impact on its short- and long-term effects. For example, smoking is rough on your lungs, but this risk doesn't apply to edibles. Individual biology Reactions to cannabis and alcohol differ from person to person. For example, one person may have a very low tolerance for cannabis but be able to tolerate alcohol well. Another person might not have any issues with misusing alcohol but still find it hard to function without cannabis. Short-term effects The short-term effects of cannabis and alcohol differ from person to person. Getting drunk or high can feel similar to some people, while others describe the sensations as very different. Of course, the way you feel when you're intoxicated also depends on how much of the substance you consume. Alcohol The feeling of intoxication is different for every person. While one person might feel relaxed while drunk, another might feel restless. Other short-term effects include: coordination and reflex issues impaired cognitive skills impaired judgment relaxation giddiness drowsiness restlessness shorter attention span nausea and vomiting And, of course, there's the hangover the next day. If you do get hungover, you might experience other effects, including headaches and diarrhea. Cannabis The immediate effects of cannabis can vary quite a bit from person to person. Some of the most commonly reported effects include: altered perception of time coordination and reflex issues impaired cognitive skills impaired judgment relaxation (though it can also make others feel anxious) giddiness drowsiness nausea pain relief dry mouth dry, red eyes increased hunger Keep in mind that these effects don't include those associated with different consumption methods, such as smoking or vaping. As for the hangover aspect, cannabis can have some lingering effects for some people, including: headaches drowsiness brain fog The verdict While being intoxicated with cannabis feels different than being intoxicated with alcohol, the two have roughly the same effect on your cognitive abilities, reflexes, and judgment. Both can also leave you feeling a bit worse for wear the next day, though this is more likely to happen with alcohol. Long-term health risks As with the short-term effects of alcohol and cannabis, the long-term effects differ from person to person. Alcohol When consumed heavily or over a long period of time, alcohol can have several long-term effects, including: Liver disease: Excessive drinking can cause chronic liver disease, which can affect your body's ability to process substances and detox itself. Pancreatitis: Alcohol misuse is a leading cause of pancreatitis, a disease of the pancreas. Heart damage: Heavy drinking can take a toll on the cardiovascular system. Stomach and digestive issues: In large amounts, alcohol can irritate the stomach, causing ulcers, pain, bloating, and irritation. Central nervous system damage: This could lead to numbness and tingling sensations in the limbs. Erectile dysfunction: Long-term alcohol use can lead to erectile dysfunction. Infertility: Long-term or heavy alcohol use may have an impact on both male and female fertility. Cannabis The long-term effects of cannabis aren't quite as clear. Plus, there's the issue of varying methods of consumption. So far, the general long-term effects associated with cannabis include: Again, these effects don't include those associated with consumption methods. It's also important to remember that there aren't many high quality, long-term studies on cannabis and its effects. Potential for misuse Both alcohol and cannabis have addiction potential. It's possible to develop an emotional or physical dependence on both substances. Alcohol Alcohol use disorder is a relatively common condition. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 28.9 million people ages 12 and up in the United States live with it. Signs of alcohol misuse can include: being unable to cut down on alcohol use having to change your schedule because of drinking and hangovers experiencing strong cravings for alcohol having withdrawal symptoms when you don't drink, including nausea, sweating, shaking, and headaches getting into trouble at work or school due to your alcohol use having arguments with loved ones due to your alcohol use Cannabis There's a common misconception that cannabis isn't addictive. Cannabis addiction is surprisingly common, however, according to a 2015 study. The data suggests that 30% of those who use cannabis may have some degree of cannabis use disorder.
