Millions of children whose immunizations have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in Africa, are now at risk from life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio, yellow fever and diphtheria, United Nations (U.N.) health agencies warned on Monday. Gaps in vaccination coverage have already led to serious measles outbreaks in Pakistan and Yemen, the agencies said, and are likely to lead to more epidemics as more regular childhood vaccinations are missed. She said the pandemic had "made a bad situation worse." The WHO survey found that at least 60 mass immunization campaigns in 50 countries were currently on hold, putting around 228 million people, mostly children, at risk from preventable serious diseases. Immunization programs against measles — one of the world's most contagious diseases — account for 23 of the postponed campaigns, affecting around 140 million people.

Source: CBC News April 26, 2021 18:00 UTC