The WHO European Region achieved 94% average coverage with 3 doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine (DTP3) and 93% average coverage with the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) in 2022, according to data published on 18 July 2023 by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). These averages reflect extensive efforts by health authorities to recover from declines in routine immunization coverage experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also uneven success: 27 of the 53 countries in the Region have not yet returned to their 2019 level of DTP3 coverage. In 2022, 300 000 infants across the European Region did not receive any scheduled immunizations in their first year of life.
“The European Region has worked hard to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to keep vaccine-preventable diseases at bay,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “Catching up on missed doses and reaching every new child with the vaccines they need and deserve must continue at full speed in every community. We cannot allow COVID-19 or any other emergencies to endanger our progress against measles and rubella, polio, cervical cancer and many other serious diseases.”
Where vaccine doses are missed outbreaks can follow
The European Immunization Agenda 2030 outlines the need to achieve 95% coverage for both DTP3 and MCV1. In 2022, 825 measles cases were reported in 23 countries in the Region. This year already 5699 measles cases have been reported for the period January–May. “Such an increase in measles cases, among both young children and adults of all ages, points towards vulnerabilities in the Region. Efforts must be made, now, to catch up on missed doses and attain optimal coverage to stop transmission and prevent outbreaks in the coming months,” explained Dr Nino Berdzuli, Director of Country Health Programmes, WHO/Europe.
Measles is among the most contagious diseases affecting people and can therefore be an early signal of the presence of immunity gaps. The Region has also seen increases in other vaccine-preventable diseases following the lifting of public health and social measures necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of reported diphtheria cases increased from 41 in 2020 to 362 in 2022, and polioviruses were detected in several countries in the Region in 2021 and 2022.
Source: World Health Organization
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