WHO concerned children’s health threatened as Covid-19 pandemic disrupts immunisation programmes

THE World Health Organisation has expressed serious concerns about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on services like immunisation programmes and the health of children.

Some nations have had to suspend vaccinations for diseases like measles, polio, yellow fever and meningitis, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing on Monday.

He explained that 21 countries have reported shortages of vaccinations due to border and travel restrictions imposed to try and contain the spread of Covid-19.

“The tragic reality is children will die as a result,” Tedros said.

The WHO chief also pointed out that other healthcare services have been hit by the coronavirus crisis, including for malaria, which could see a doubling of cases in Sub-Saharan Africa as a result.

At the same virtual press conference in Geneva Tedros reminded governments that the pandemic is “far from over.”

“We have a long road ahead of us and a lot of work to do,” he said, but added that with the right actions a second wave of infections could be prevented.

There are now more than 2.9 million confirmed Covid-19 cases around the world, and more nearly 210,000 have lost their life to the virus.

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Written by

Cathy Elelman

Cathy Elelman is the local writer for the Costa de Almeria edition of the Euro Weekly News.

Based in Mojacar for the last 21 years, Cathy is very much part of the local community and is always well and truly up on all the latest news and events going on in this region of Spain.

Her top goals are to do the best job she can informing the local English-speaking community, visitors to the area and the wider world about about the news in Almeria, to learn something new every day, and to embrace very new challenge this fast-changing world brings her way.

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