Reduce the potential threats of measles and polio outbreaks now, if you care

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have jointly launched an urgent call to action to avert major measles and polio outbreaks as the coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt immunization services in the world, which has left millions of vulnerable children at risk.

The two United Nations organizations estimate that $ 655 million – $ 400 million for polio and $ 255 million for measles – is needed for non-Gavi-eligible countries and target age groups.

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic had had a “devastating effect” on the global health system and in particular on immunization services. But according to him, unlike the novel coronavirus infection, “we have the tools and the knowledge to stop diseases such as polio and measles. What we need are the resources and the commitments to put these tools in place. and knowledge in action. If we do this, children’s lives will be saved. “

Fight against all diseases not only COVID-19

Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, said that while battling the coronavirus pandemic, the world cannot allow her to “cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases.” The current COVID-19 situation is critical, but there are other deadly diseases that are also threatening the lives of millions of children in some of the poorest parts of the world.

This is why “we urgently call for global action from country leaders, donors and partners,” Fore said. United Nations agency efforts need additional financial support to safely resume immunization campaigns, as well as to prioritize immunization systems which are critically important to protect children and prevent further epidemics. SARS-CoV-2.

In recent years, there has been a global resurgence of measles with outbreaks underway in all regions of the planet. This year, the vaccine coverage gaps were further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Measles is a lifelong health problem and last year it reached the highest number of new infections in more than two decades. Annual mortality data for 2019, which will be released next week, will reveal the continued negative toll around the world.

Experts believe that transmission of the polio virus could increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as in many parts of Africa. Failure to eliminate this disease could lead to a worldwide resurgence of polio that could cause up to 200,000 new cases per year, within 10 years, according to UNICEF.

However, the world can expect good news soon, as organizations have planned new tools, including a new, next-generation oral polio vaccine and a strategic measles outbreak response plan that could be deployed over the next few months, which would help address increasing threats and save millions of lives.

Deaths from tuberculosis during a pandemic

Recently, scientists said hundreds of thousands more deaths from tuberculosis are expected to occur in 2020 due to the pandemic’s effect on global health services.

In countries like Africa, India and Indonesia, doctors as well as healthcare workers have focused from following up TB patients to cases of coronavirus infection. As a result, millions of TB diagnoses have gone undiagnosed and, according to the WHO, this could lead to an additional 200,000-400,000 deaths from TB alone in 2020.

Thomas Kenyon, head of health for Project Hope, the humanitarian NGO said this was just one example of the very difficult choices that had to be made to contain the coronavirus pandemic. According to him, “It was obviously crucial that we tackle the pandemic, but we cannot forget that we have other killers among us. We are going to have to be innovative to deal with them.”