The World Health Organization warned Friday that at least 80 million children are at risk as the coronavirus pandemic hampers vaccination efforts.
“COVID-19 is disrupting life-saving immunization services around the world, putting millions of children — in rich and poor countries alike — at risk of diseases like diphtheria, measles and polio,” the WHO said in a joint press release with UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Many health workers who administer childhood vaccinations have been unable to do so because of travel restrictions or redeployment to combat the coronavirus. Additionally, some parents are not getting their children vaccinated due to stay-at-home orders or fear of contracting the virus.
In 2018, the WHO estimated that about 19 million children around the world did not receive routine vaccinations. The pandemic will likely cause that number to rise in 2020.
The Trump administration has been highly critical of the WHO’s handling of the pandemic. In a recent letter to the WHO, President Trump accused the organization of ignoring credible reports of the virus spreading in China in early December. The WHO disputes this claim. Trump has threatened to cut off U.S. funding to the organization.
