Latest news with #JonathanMosser
2 days ago
- Health
Vaccination rates are slipping around the world. Canada isn't immune, says new study
After decades of progress, childhood vaccination rates have started stalling or falling around the world in recent years, and Canada is not immune to the trend, suggests a new study (new window) from The Lancet. The study estimated the coverage of 11 childhood vaccines in 204 countries and territories between 1980 and 2023, analyzing over 1,000 data sources from around the world. It found that although globally there were huge strides made in vaccine coverage for children during that period (vaccine coverage against diseases like measles, polio and pertussis more than doubled), progress started stalling, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Particularly in the Americas and high-income countries, between 2010 and 2019, measles vaccine coverage declined in about half the countries, said Dr. Jonathan Mosser, an assistant professor of health metric sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington and one of the co-authors of the study. The pandemic dealt a heavy blow to vaccination rates, with more than 15 million children globally missing routine shots between 2020 and 2023, Mosser said. The world never fully rebounded to pre-pandemic childhood vaccination levels, he said. The pandemic reversed decades of progress that we had in reducing the number of zero-dose children, those children that have never received one of these key childhood vaccines. Worsening vaccine inequalities The pandemic had an outsized impact on regions that already had low vaccine coverage before COVID-19, Mosser said. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa saw the greatest disruption to vaccine coverage: five to seven million children in the region are estimated to have missed vaccines protecting them against diseases like polio, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus. We have challenges related to really long-standing global inequalities and vaccination coverage with many low- and middle-income countries having significantly lower coverage than high-income countries, Mosser said. Why vaccination rates have started stalling varies from country to country, he added. WATCH | Misinformation largely driving vaccination decline: study: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Decline in childhood vaccination fuelled by global conflicts, misinformation: Lancet 2 days agoDuration2:01A new study published in the Lancet medical journal suggests childhood vaccinations have stagnated or declined since 2010. The authors say geopolitical instability is fuelling the drop in some countries, but misinformation is largely driving the decline in high-income countries. In some places around the world, they're related to geopolitical instability, they're related to supply chain issues. In many high-income countries, they're related to vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, he said. Convincing those who won't get vaccinated In Canada, Mosser said, vaccine coverage for most shots has dropped compared to the early 2000s. Uptake for some vaccines have fallen over time, like the shot that protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. Recently there's been some increases in uptake for other jabs – like the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — but the modest increase isn't enough to prevent outbreaks. For instance, Mosser said, vaccination rates for measles in 2023 — 92 per cent for one dose of the MMR and 79 per cent for two doses of the MMR — are well below the threshold needed for herd immunity, which is 95 per cent. In high-income countries like Canada, vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have seriously undermined confidence in vaccines and contributed to lower vaccination coverage, said Mosser. Another contributing factor could be disparities in coverage, along divides like socioeconomic status, location, race or religion, he added. New strategies are needed to encourage people to listen to trusted and reliable voices, including their health-care providers, about vaccination. WATCH | Why ending the measles outbreak will be challenging: Début du widget Widget. Passer le widget ? Fin du widget Widget. Retourner au début du widget ? Why it's going to be hard to end Ontario's measles outbreak Ontario currently has more measles cases than in all of the U.S. combined, and infections are climbing in Alberta and Manitoba. CBC's Jennifer Yoon breaks down what's behind the resurgence of a disease eliminated decades ago, and why those on the front line say it's going to be really difficult to get this outbreak under control. In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it is researching the various and often complex reasons driving vaccine hesitancy across Canada. The agency says it also is developing evidence-based awareness campaigns and resources to support health-care providers encountering vaccine hesitancy. 'A travelling world' As public health authorities try to convince those in Canada who won't get vaccinated, it's also important to support and fund vaccination campaigns around the world, say experts in Canada. The world is a travelling world, said Dr. Mahli Brindamour, a pediatrician at Jim Pattison Children's Hospital in Saskatoon. If we don't have good vaccine coverage in sub-Saharan Africa, that touches Canada as well, said Brindamour, who also practices at REACH clinic, a multidisciplinary refugee clinic. She says she's seen patients, often from regions facing conflict, where it's difficult to access vaccines. But they're almost always eager to get the shot, if one is needed and offered. We don't see a lot of vaccine hesitancy, she said, in reference to refugee populations. Dr. Gabriel Fabreau, a general internal medicine specialist in Calgary, who also works with newcomer populations, has also observed that his patients don't hesitate to get childhood vaccinations. He says Canada should make it easier for these populations to catch up on any childhood vaccines they've missed. Health systems work best if we make routine and easy things that we know are important, he said. Ramping up pre-departure vaccination programs, facilitating medical and vaccine record-sharing across borders and offering vaccines upon arrival are easy ways to address this complex problem, he added. Jennifer Yoon (new window) · CBC News
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Health
- Japan Today
Child vaccine coverage faltering, threatening millions: study
More than half of the world's completely unvaccinated children live in just eight countries, research finds By Daniel Lawler Efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases are faltering across the world due to economic inequality, Covid-era disruptions and misinformation, putting millions of lives at risk, research warned Wednesday. These trends all increase the threat of future outbreaks of preventable diseases, the researchers said, while sweeping foreign aid cuts threaten previous progress in vaccinating the world's children. A new study published in The Lancet journal looked at childhood vaccination rates across 204 countries and territories. It was not all bad news. An immunization program by the World Health Organization was estimated to have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the last 50 years. And vaccination coverage against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled between 1980 and 2023, the international team of researchers found. However, the gains slowed in the 2010s, when measles vaccinations decreased in around half of the countries, with the largest drop in Latin America. Meanwhile in more than half of all high-income countries there were declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose. Then the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Routine vaccination services were hugely disrupted during lockdowns and other measures, resulting in nearly 13 million extra children who never received any vaccine dose between 2020 to 2023, the study said. This disparity endured, particularly in poorer countries. In 2023, more than half of the world's 15.7 million completely unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study. In the European Union, 10 times more measles cases were recorded last year compared to 2023. In the United States, a measles outbreak surged past 1,000 cases across 30 states last month, which is already more than were recorded in all of 2024. Cases of polio, long eradicated in many areas thanks to vaccination, have been rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Papua New Guinea is currently enduring a polio outbreak. 'Tragedy' "Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available," said senior study author Jonathan Mosser of the U.S.-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). "But persistent global inequalities, challenges from the Covid pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunization progress," he said in a statement. In addition, there are "rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, climate crises," added lead study author Emily Haeuser, also from the IHME. The researchers warned the setbacks could threaten the WHO's goal of having 90 percent of the world's children and adolescents receive essential vaccines by 2030. The WHO also aims to halve the number of children who have received no vaccine doses by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Just 18 countries have achieved this so far, according to the study, which was funded by the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance. The global health community has also been reeling since President Donald Trump's administration drastically slashed US international aid earlier this year. "For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid," Bill Gates said in a separate statement on Tuesday. "That is a tragedy," the Microsoft co-founder said, committing $1.6 billion to Gavi, which is holding a fund-raising summit in Brussels on Wednesday. © 2025 AFP
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Health
- Boston Globe
Millions of children at risk from stalling global vaccinations, study says
The study said that while global coverage for key vaccines, including those against measles, polio, and tuberculosis, almost doubled between 1980 and 2023, progress slowed in many countries and territories between 2010 and 2019, and has even reversed in some cases in recent years. Advertisement The trend was also seen in wealthier parts of the world, with declines in at least one key vaccine in 21 of 36 high-income countries and territories. The coronavirus pandemic 'exacerbated these challenges, with global rates for these vaccines declining sharply since 2020, and still not returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels as of 2023,' the study said, causing tens millions of children to miss doses of routine vaccines and 'increasing their risk for preventable disease and death.' 'Despite the monumental efforts of the past 50 years, progress has been far from universal. Large numbers of children remain under- and un-vaccinated,' senior study author Jonathan Mosser of University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said in a news release. Advertisement 'Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available, but persistent global inequalities, challenges from the COVID pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunization progress,' he added. In many countries, these trends have led to outbreaks of diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, such as measles, polio, and diphtheria, the study said. Kate O'Brien, WHO director for immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, said in an emailed statement that 'despite incredible progress' brought about by vaccines, 'we are now confronting a painful reality: Progress has stalled and in some countries is being lost. Immunization rates have plateaued, and year after year, we are reaching the same proportion of children without extending their reach to those left behind.' 'Unless we intensify efforts to reach more children through equitable routine immunization programmes, increase domestic investment, and strengthen vaccine confidence and demand, we risk undoing years of hard-won progress — leading to a future where more children suffer from preventable illnesses and premature death,' she added. An increase in vaccine hesitancy, as well as misinformation — which the WHO signaled as a leading threat to global public health even before the pandemic — have impacted immunization, the study noted. Conflict is another factor. The outbreak of civil war in Sudan in 2023 led to one key coverage measurement — the number of children receiving the first dose of the DTP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis — falling from almost 90 percent to about half of that, according to the study. Planned budget cuts to vaccines 'are likely to disproportionately affect low-income and middle income countries,' the study said, but richer countries are also likely to be affected by higher costs caused by increasing outbreaks. Advertisement The study's findings echo a warning this spring from the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who noted outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases were increasing around the world, 'putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks.' He urged countries with limited resources to 'invest in the highest-impact interventions — and that includes vaccines.' The study, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was published in the Lancet medical journal. Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he may stop government scientists from publishing in the Lancet and several other top peer-reviewed journals, accusing them — without evidence — of being 'corrupt.' Shortly after returning to office in January, President Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the WHO. Two months later, a USAID document showed that the administration planned funding cuts for Gavi, which provides lifesaving vaccinations for millions of people in the world's poorest countries. Domestically, following the deaths of two children in Texas from measles — with a total of 23 outbreaks recorded across the US with more than 1,000 confirmed cases — Kennedy has given mixed messages on measles immunization and caused controversy by announcing placebo testing for new vaccines. David L. Heymann, professor of infectious-disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and who was not involved in the research, said in a telephone interview Wednesday that public trust is a key part of vaccination success. He urged governments to 'take a great interest in this and to make sure that they're getting the right messages to their people,' and emphasized the importance of evidence-based recommendations from trusted organizations like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Advertisement Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and a professor at the University of Oxford, who also was not involved in the research, in a statement called the findings a 'worrying trend' that is 'set to deteriorate' amid global health funding cuts. In a separate email Wednesday, he accused the Trump administration of 'undermining' parents' confidence in vaccines, risking further drops in coverage. 'This combined with a catastrophic reduction of global health funding, rejection of scientific evidence on vaccines and challenges to credible scientific leadership on immunisation policy means that the once trusted voice of America on vaccines is diminished,' he said.
IOL News
3 days ago
- Health
- IOL News
Millions of children missing vaccines
MILLIONS of children around the world may be at risk because of stalling vaccination efforts in recent years, according to an analysis of a half-century of global vaccination efforts. The study, published Tuesday in the Lancet medical journal, said that the World Health Organization's global vaccination program 'has achieved remarkable success' since it was created in 1974, reaching more than 4 billion children and saving 154 million lives. But progress has stalled in recent decades, the authors said, with inequalities in access and the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as an upsurge in vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, continuing to hinder progress. The study said that while global coverage for key vaccines, including those against measles, polio and tuberculosis, almost doubled between 1980 and 2023, progress slowed in many countries and territories between 2010 and 2019, and has even reversed in some cases in recent years. The trend was also seen in wealthier parts of the world, with declines in at least one key vaccine in 21 of 36 high-income countries and territories. The coronavirus pandemic 'exacerbated these challenges, with global rates for these vaccines declining sharply since 2020, and still not returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels as of 2023,' the study said, causing tens millions of children to miss doses of routine vaccines and 'increasing their risk for preventable disease and death.' 'Despite the monumental efforts of the past 50 years, progress has been far from universal. Large numbers of children remain under- and un-vaccinated,' senior study author Jonathan Mosser of University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said in a news release. 'Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available, but persistent global inequalities, challenges from the COVID pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress,' he added. In many countries, these trends have led to outbreaks of diseases that can be prevented by vaccination, such as measles, polio and diphtheria, the study said. Kate O'Brien, WHO director for immunization, vaccines and biologicals, said in an emailed statement that 'despite incredible progress' brought about by vaccines, 'we are now confronting a painful reality: Progress has stalled and in some countries is being lost. Immunization rates have plateaued, and year after year, we are reaching the same proportion of children without extending their reach to those left behind.' 'Unless we intensify efforts to reach more children through equitable routine immunization programmes, increase domestic investment, and strengthen vaccine confidence and demand, we risk undoing years of hard-won progress - leading to a future where more children suffer from preventable illnesses and premature death,' she added. An increase in vaccine hesitancy, as well as misinformation - which the WHO signaled as a leading threat to global public health even before the pandemic - have impacted immunization, the study noted. Conflict is another factor. The outbreak of civil war in Sudan in 2023 led to one key coverage measurement - the number of children receiving the first dose of the DTP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis - falling from almost 90 percent to about half of that, according to the study. Planned budget cuts to vaccines 'are likely to disproportionately affect low-income and middle income countries,' the study said, but richer countries are also likely to be affected by higher costs caused by increasing outbreaks. The study's findings echo a warning this spring from the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who noted outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases were increasing around the world, 'putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks.' He urged countries with limited resources to 'invest in the highest-impact interventions - and that includes vaccines.' The study, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, was published in the Lancet medical journal. Last month, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he may stop government scientists from publishing in the Lancet and several other top peer-reviewed journals, accusing them - without evidence - of being 'corrupt.' Shortly after returning to office in January, President Donald Trump announced the United States' withdrawal from the WHO. Two months later, a USAID document showed that the administration planned funding cuts for Gavi, which provides lifesaving vaccinations for millions of people in the world's poorest countries. Domestically, following the deaths of two children in Texas from measles - with a total of 23 outbreaks recorded across the U.S. with more than 1,000 confirmed cases - Kennedy has given mixed messages on measles immunization and caused controversy by announcing placebo testing for new vaccines. David L. Heymann, professor of infectious-disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and who was not involved in the research, said in a telephone interview Wednesday that public trust is a key part of vaccination success. He urged governments to 'take a great interest in this and to make sure that they're getting the right messages to their people,' and emphasized the importance of evidence-based recommendations from trusted organizations like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and a professor at the University of Oxford, who also was not involved in the research, in a statement called the findings a 'worrying trend' that is 'set to deteriorate' amid global health funding cuts. In a separate email Wednesday, he accused the Trump administration of 'undermining' parents' confidence in vaccines, risking further drops in coverage. 'This combined with a catastrophic reduction of global health funding, rejection of scientific evidence on vaccines and challenges to credible scientific leadership on immunisation policy means that the once trusted voice of America on vaccines is diminished,' he said.
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Health
- Evening Standard
Campaigners welcome vaccine cash pledge but fear cut will see fewer lives saved
Senior study author Dr Jonathan Mosser, from the University of Washington in the US, said: 'Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available, but persistent global inequalities, challenges from the Covid pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress.
