As people around the world are locked down and resources are diverted to coronavirus response, we’re seeing “fresh explosions of illness and death from other diseases—ones that are readily prevented by vaccines,” says The New York Times in a detailed, must-read report.
Around the world, we’re seeing surges in preventable illnesses—including diphtheria, cholera, measles, tuberculosis, even poliovirus in dozens of countries, explains The New York Times.
“178 million people are at risk of missing measles shots in 2020,” as vaccine campaigns around the world are halted, transportation networks are shut down, and available supplies and health care workers are diverted to the COVID-19 response.
And the current measles epidemic could potentially “kill more children than COVID,” said Chibuzo Okonta, President of Doctors Without Borders in West and Central Africa.
This is a problem in the United States, too. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccinations dropped 50% during the week of April 5, the height of the pandemic in the United States, primarily due to people missing routine check-ups, explained an earlier report.
But U.S. vaccination rates were falling even before COVID-19—and the United States almost lost its measles elimination status in 2019 as parents increasingly choose to not vaccinate their children.
And alarmingly, even in the midst of a pandemic, “vaccine hesitancy” is on the rise.New data from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found 1 in 8 U.S. parents are concerned about vaccine safety, while 1 in 4 are “hesitant about influenza vaccine”—stats that make us seriously concerned about what this means for utilization of a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
The bottom line: Children need to be protected against these preventable diseases, pandemic or not. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and AAP recommend every child continues to receive routine vaccinations during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Phyllis’ Philosophy: The biopharma industry is working hard to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, but it’s equally important to keep up with vaccinations against other deadly but preventable diseases—some of which, like measles, are even more contagious and deadly for children. There is an urgent need for everyone to catch up on missed routine immunizations—babies, kids, adolescents, and adults. At the same time, we must continue to dispel mistruths about vaccines and remind the public that they’re safe and effective. At the end of the day, vaccines are amazing tools to advance public health—but only if people get them. – Phyllis Arthur, BIO’s VP of Infectious Diseases and Diagnostics Policy
More Health Care News:
NIH: NIH launches analytics platform to harness nationwide COVID-19 patient data to speed treatments
“The initiative will create an analytics platform to systematically collect clinical, laboratory and diagnostic data from health care provider organizations nationwide. It will then harmonize the aggregated information into a standard format and make it available rapidly for researchers and health care providers to accelerate COVID-19 research and provide information that may improve clinical care.”
STAT News: Cancer patients and their doctors carry on with clinical trials during COVID-19
“Some medical centers put certain research trials on hold, stretched too thin by the needs of treating COVID-19 patients. Others continued their cancer trials by taking advantage of NCI-modified protocols allowing patient consent by phone or delivery of oral drugs to patients’ homes.”
