The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused worldwide childhood vaccination rates for measles and polio to plummet, according to a November 2020 emergency call to action from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Even when vaccines are available, the report says, people around the world have trouble accessing services because of lockdowns or fear of contracting COVID-19. If this issue is not addressed, it could lead to outbreaks of polio and measles. Nine million childhood vaccine doses may be missed in the U.S. in 2020. It is imperative that pediatricians make parents aware of established safeguards to prevent the spread of COVID-19, so that their children may continue to receive vaccines. Read more.
