The discovery of vaccination is widely considered one of the biggest breakthroughs in the history of medicine. The development of vaccines has allowed the eradication of fatal diseases and improved the lives of children and adults all over the world.
However, a study done by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) showed that there is declining confidence in childhood vaccines globally. In the Philippines, the perception of the importance of vaccines for children declined by about 25 percent. This figure was higher in countries such as South Korea, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Senegal, and Japan.
In most countries, people under 35 and women were more likely to report less confidence about vaccines for children after the start of the pandemic.
UNICEF also reported that there was decreased vaccine coverage in the years between 2019 and 2021, which was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated 67 million children worldwide missed out on childhood vaccines during this period. In the Philippines, UNICEF estimates that there were 1 million “zero-dose” children — ones who did not receive a single routine vaccine such as DPT, Oral Polio, and Measles vaccine.
“The COVID pandemic years represent the worst continual decline in coverage reported in the past 30 years globally. Statistically, 1 in 5 children are either unvaccinated or undervaccinated, making them vulnerable to a range of vaccine-preventable diseases,” Dr. Carla Orozco, UNICEF Philippines immunization specialist shared.
Orozco noted that there are several factors that led to the high number of under-vaccinated and unvaccinated children.
“Some LGUs would only have once a month vaccination sessions. And also, there is inadequate tracking of defaulters. Defaulters are those children that have not completed their immunization schedule but they have actually started it–and that is a usual scenario in the Philippines, they don’t complete their vaccination schedule in time. There is a lack of regular outreach immunization services, inadequate human resources,” said Orozco.
Vaccine hesitancy is also a looming issue in the Philippines. “Like religious beliefs, perceptions that vaccines are not important, misinformation–possible side effects, etc.
These have contributed really to the low trust in vaccine’s safety and efficacy,” she said.
Prior to the pandemic, a scare involving Denvaxia led to a significant fall in vaccine confidence, from 93 percent in 2015, to 32 percent in 2018. Parents and caregivers did not vaccinate their children which resulted in a measles outbreak in 2019 in various parts of the country as well as the re-emergence of polio — a disease that was considered eradicated in 2000.
To address these issues UNICEF stressed the need to increase financing for immunization, implement, and accelerate catch-up vaccination efforts to protect children and prevent disease outbreaks. Some of the steps that could be taken include identifying and reaching all children, especially those who missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening demand for vaccines by building confidence and battling misinformation and disinformation, prioritizing funding for immunization services and primary health care, and building resilient systems through investments in female health workers, innovation, and local manufacturing.
“Immunizations have saved millions of lives and protected communities from deadly disease outbreaks,” said Catherine Russell. “We know all too well that diseases do not respect borders. Routine immunizations and strong health systems are our best shot at preventing future pandemics, unnecessary deaths, and suffering. With resources still available from the COVID-19 vaccination drive, now is the time to redirect those funds to strengthen immunization services and invest in sustainable systems for every child.”
