Las vaccines save millions of livesand are part of human rights to health Yet Science because it protects against the risk of complications diseases and are the result clinical studies that evaluate its effectiveness and safety.
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in Latin America, vaccination decreased between 2015 and 2019 compared to other regions of the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has developed and the situation has worsened. At the moment, region It has the second worst vaccination coverage in the world. About 2.7 million children did not receive all doses of the vaccine in 2021, leaving them without full protection against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Pan American Health Organization.
COVID-19 has negatively affected health services and increased the risk of children contracting vaccine-preventable diseases such as measleswhooping or whooping cough, diphtheria, poliomyelitis and meningitis caused by bacteria, e.g Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae type b y Neisseria meningitidis.
This was pointed out by a group of experts from Latin America which reviewed studies and reports on immunization levels and then made recommendations to address the issue and improve preparedness for future pandemics. The work was published in magazine specialized Expert review of vaccines.
Only 82% of children in the region received three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine in 2020, compared to 91% in 2016. Costa Rica, Chile, Cuba and Nicaragua They maintained the level of coverage.
In a dialogue with Infobaeone of the co-authors of the work, Dr. Almudena Laris Gonzálezinfectious diseases doctor at the Federico Gómez Children’s Hospital of Mexico in Mexico City, professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico and a member Latin American Society of Pediatric Infectologyexplained that there were different factors that made girls and boys less likely to access vaccinations.
“With the development of the pandemic, the budget and personnel that were for vaccinations were reassigned to care for COVID-19. Demand for vaccination services has also decreased due to restrictions on mobility within cities or within countries, or due to people’s fear of exposure to the virus when entering health centers. There has been a decrease in the capacity of epidemiological surveillance and deficiencies in information and notification systems,” said the specialist.
As vaccination coverage declined, the likelihood of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases increased. For example, Brazil was the country with the highest number of cases of measles, an infection that causes high fever, runny nose, conjunctival injections and small white spots on the inside of the face.
In addition, diphtheria is another disease that threatens the region. It is an infectious disease caused by bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriawhich primarily infects the throat and upper respiratory tract and produces a toxin affecting other organs
In March 2021, Dominican republic y Haiti reported a new outbreak of diphtheria in schoolchildren, adolescents and adults, adding to cases previously reported during 2020 in Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela. As of October 2021, 4 countries in the region have reported cases of diphtheria: Brazil, Colombia, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. There were 15 dead.
There is concern about the possibility of children suffering from whooping cough and poliomyelitis. “The risk of re-emergence of diseases such as polio due to low vaccination coverage in the Americas region has led countries to prepare their health personnel for possible sprouts” the doctor admitted last June Anne Eudes Jean BaptistePAHO Regional Polio Advisor.
“There is a view that if children do not receive benefits in 2020, they should not continue to receive them. It is important for families to remember that this idea is not true. “They need to go to the vaccination center in 2023 and make sure the children are up-to-date on their immunizations,” he said. Almudena Laris González AND Infobae.
A group of experts made various recommendations. Immunization services from birth and throughout life need to be strengthened and vaccination of pregnant women improved to protect both mothers and children. More should be looked for in children who have not received any doses of the vaccine and in those who have forgotten to vaccinate.
Health professionals should also “help proactively communicate with parents or guardians to clarify their concerns about vaccine efficacy and safety, particularly in vulnerable populations (such as those who refuse vaccines for cultural or religious reasons),” they wrote.
Another of the co-authors of the work, Eduardo Lopezdirector of the children’s infectious diseases course at the capital University of Buenos Aires Faculty of Medicine and Ricardo Gutiérrez Children’s Hospital of the city of Buenos Aires, he commented Infobae that the vaccination of children was changed in 2020 because access was limited because vaccination hours in centers were shortened or closed. Some people hesitate. There was also fear of the risk of contracting the coronavirus.”
Based on what happened, Dr. López said that since the health emergency, it has been found that more vaccination communication campaigns need to be carried out to ensure coverage at all times.
“Vaccines are generally given during the first year of a child’s life. They then decrease over the course of life. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV) coverage that applies to age 11 is suboptimal. It means that the days and hours of public vaccination should be increased and immunization in schools should be strengthened. Strategies that facilitate access to the population should be reassessed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Andrea Uboldimember National Commission on Immunization (CoNaIn), Argentine Society of Pediatrics and vice president of the Argentine Society of Vaccinology and Epidemiology (SAVE)in dialogue with Infobaehe believed that the pandemic had left several lessons.
“The pandemic has taught us that immunization is an essential service that should not be closed in primary health care. Because it protects against diseases that have a risk of recurrence,” said Uboldi, who was not involved in the published work. “A review of vaccination staff is pending,” he said.
“The public health emergency also showed how confidence he had a certain disrepute with health authorities in Latin America. It is key to work on it transparency and in communication“he added. In addition, information systems should be improved to strengthen records Certificate of Vaccination and disclose if side effects occur.
