As the corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak reaches its third year in the Americas, millions of children are missing out on routine vaccinations, putting countries at risk of losing two decades of immunisation progress, the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) director Dr. Carissa Etienne has warned.
“Countries are seeing outbreaks of diseases that for years had been under control,” she said during a media briefing on Wednesday, as she mentioned diphtheria in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
This week, countries reported the highest number of weekly cases since the pandemic began – more than 8 million. Deaths also increased by 37 per cent from the previous week, reaching 18 000.
As more people of all ages are becoming infected, the PAHO director highlighted that while hospitalisations and severe cases are more frequent among children with pre-existing diseases, such as diabetes and asthma, most of these children recover.
At the same time, however, children continue to miss out on their regular doctors’ visits, and many remain out of the classroom, jeopardising their social, mental, and physical wellbeing.
