Child immunisations have dropped so far during COVID that
the World Health Organisation and UNICEF are raising the
alarm, as is the Immunisation Advisory Centre, IMAC.
Internationally 25 million children have missed out on life
saving vaccinations and here in New Zealand Aotearoa we are
seeing a similarly concerning trend.
“Planning and
tackling COVID-19 should also go hand-in-hand with
vaccinating for killer diseases like measles, pneumonia and
diarrhoea,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO
Director-General. In New Zealand we are seeing more and more
outreach clinics where multiple vaccinations can be provided
at once. IMAC supports this work continuing and expanding,
especially the community outreach being done by Māori and
Pasifika health providers, but the statistics paint a
concerning picture.
Internationally, first dose
measles is at its lowest level since 2008 internationally,
down 24.7 million which increases the potential for
outbreaks around the world including in New Zealand of
course. We are at high risk of measles returning, and of a
resurgence in whooping cough, both vaccine preventable
diseases.
Dr Anna Howe, Research Fellow, Paediatrics:
Child and Youth Health at the University of Auckland
provides IMAC with immunisation coverage for children in New
Zealand.
She says, “Here in New Zealand our
childhood immunisations are also dropping, creating larger
and larger equity gaps meaning those children most at risk
are getting more and more at risk of getting sick or even
dying from vaccine preventable illnesses. This is why it’s
vitally important that parents and caregivers get their
tamariki vaccinated without delay when they’re eligible,
which provides them with life-saving
protection.”
This graph from Dr Howe shows how much
childhood immunisations have dropped by. As you can see,
vaccinations at ages 6 months, 18 months and 2 years have
dropped significantly.
Our
other area of concern is the ethnic breakdown, which shows
very concerning equity differences that need to be
addressed, particularly around timeliness of receiving
immunisations at the right age. Delaying the vaccination
puts young children at high risk of some vaccine preventable
diseases, in particular whooping cough and
measles.
The overall coverage rates trend has dropped
from nearly 80 percent coverage in 2017 to around 65 percent
coverage this year in June. Māori and Pasifika rates are
lower still and show an urgent need to support and expand
the good work being done by Māori and Pasifika health
providers working closely with their communities to reach
those that can’t easily access vaccinations.
The
leadership provided by the new Te Aka Whai Ora – Māori
Health Authority, and Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand,
will be critical in turning these statistics
around.
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