Page 60 - 15MAY2019E

ndia, according 2017, a 22 per cent in-
to the UNICEF, 2.9 MILLION crease from the year
has 2.9 million before, the body said
children who in a statement.
despite over 80 per CHILDREN sles vaccine are es-
I have missed out Two doses of mea-
on the first dose of
sential to protect chil-
measles vaccine be-
tween 2010 and 2017
dren from the disease.
of access, poor health
cent of immunisation However, due to lack
coverage. The country, MISS OUT systems, complacency,
with its large annual and in some cases fear
birth cohort of 25 mil- or skepticism about
lion, is followed by Pa- vaccines, the global
kistan and Indonesia coverage of the first
— 1.2 million each, and ON FIRST dose of the measles
Ethiopia 1.1 million. vaccine was report-
The situation is “criti- ed at 85 per cent in
cal” in low and middle- 2017, a figure that has
income countries. remained relatively
In 2017, for ex- DOSE OF constant over the last
ample, Nigeria had decade despite popu-
the highest number lation growth.
nearly 4 million, the MEASLES for the second dose
Global coverage
of children under
one year of age who
is much lower at 67
missed out on the first
dose of vaccine, at
per cent. The World
United Nations child Health Organization
(WHO) recommends
health body said. The VACCINE a threshold of 95 per
United States topped cent immunisation
the list of high-income coverage to achieve
countries with most so-called ‘herd im-
children not receiv- munity’. “Worldwide
ing the first dose of the coverage levels of the
measles vaccine be- India, which has large annual birth cohort of 25 million, second dose of the
tween 2010 and 2017 at measles vaccines are
more than 2.5 million. is followed by Pakistan and Indonesia — 1.2 million each even more alarming.
It is followed by — and Ethiopia where 1.1 million missed their vaccination, Of the top 20 coun-
France and the United tries, with the largest
Kingdom, with over reports tehelka bureau number of unvacci-
600,000 and 500,000 nated children in 2017,
unvaccinated infants, respectively, tive Director Henrietta Fore said. “The nine have not introduced the second
during the same period. An estimated measles virus will always find unvacci- dose,” it said in the statement.
169 million children missed out on nated children. If we are serious about Twenty countries in sub-Saharan
the first dose of the measles vaccine averting the spread of this dangerous Africa have not introduced the neces-
between 2010 and 2017, or 21.1 mil- but preventable disease, we need to sary second dose in the national vacci-
lion children a year on an average, the vaccinate every child, in rich and poor nation schedule, putting over 17 million
UNICEF said. countries alike.” infants a year at higher risk of measles
Widening pockets of unvaccinated In the first three months of this year, during their childhood. “Measles is far
children have created a pathway to the more than 1,10,000 measles cases were too contagious,” said Fore, adding that
measles outbreak around the world. reported worldwide — up nearly 300 “it is critical not only to increase cover-
“The ground for the global measles per cent from the same period last year. age, but also to sustain vaccination rates
outbreaks we are witnessing today An estimated 1,10,000 people, most of at the right doses to create an umbrella
was laid years ago,” UNICEF Execu- them children, died from measles in of immunity for everyone”.

Tehelka / 15 may 2019 60 www.Tehelka.com