[Denish Ochieng/Standard]The World Health Organization(WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Fund(UNICEF) have warned of a decline in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world. However, the emergence of Covid-19 has threatened strides made between the year 2000 to 2018 which has saved an estimated 23 million children's lives. Prior to the pandemic, global vaccine coverage had mostly stalled at 85 per cent for nearly a decade stagnating the 2030 goal of reaching every child with life-saving vaccines. The main reason for this drop in doses administered and children immunized has largely to do with a reluctance to visit vaccination centers because of fear of being exposed to covid-19. The two international bodies continue, reinforcing their capacity to ensure that even as the world battles with the coronavirus pandemic, continued effort must be place to ensure children receive life-saving vaccines.

Source: Standard Digital July 20, 2020 13:30 UTC