The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in public perception of routine childhood vaccines with nearly 67 million children missing out on one or more potentially life-saving vaccines, according to a UNICEF report titled The State of the World's Children 2023.

"More than a decade of hard-earned gains in routine childhood immunization have been eroded," the report said, adding that the data indicates a worrying trend of rising vaccine hesitancy amidst political polarization, dwindling trust in governments, and misinformation.

The largest sustained decline in childhood immunization in a generation was observed during COVID-19 disruptions, with 67 million children missing at least one immunization.

Despite increasing outbreaks, attempts to catch up have so far been unsuccessful, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report highlighted.

Victim of the pandemic

The decline in vaccine confidence comes after more than a decade of gains in routine childhood immunization, and getting back on track will be a challenging task, the agency warned.

"We cannot allow confidence in routine immunizations to become another victim of the pandemic," Catherine Russell, UNICEF executive director, said in a statement.

"Otherwise, the next wave of deaths could be of more children with measles, diphtheria or other preventable diseases."

The report also raises concerns about a drop in vaccine confidence in 52 out of 55 countries surveyed.

While calling confidence in vaccines "volatile and time-specific," the report highlights that vaccine confidence can easily shift, noting that "further analysis will be required to determine if the findings are indicative of a longer-term trend" beyond the pandemic.

Vaccine confidence varies globally

Overall, support for vaccines "remains relatively strong." In about half of the 55 countries surveyed, more than 80% of respondents "perceived vaccines as important for children."

The report also points out that vaccine confidence varies globally, with countries like India, China, and Mexico experiencing no significant decline. In contrast, countries like Papua New Guinea and South Korea saw a decline in vaccine agreement by 44% and over a third in Ghana, Senegal, and Japan.

UNICEF has called on governments to double down on their commitment to increase financing for immunization, with special attention on accelerating "catch-up" vaccination efforts for those who missed their shots.

Cases of measles increasing

The report stresses that vaccine confidence is crucial in maintaining routine childhood immunization and saving lives.

Before the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, the disease was responsible for claiming the lives of around 2.6 million individuals annually, with the majority of victims being children.

However, as of 2021, that number had decreased to 128,000.

Unfortunately, between 2019 and 2021, the proportion of children receiving the measles vaccine plummeted from 86% to 81%, and in 2022, the number of cases doubled compared to the preceding year.