Pandemic Paranoia Fuels 'Severe' Health Crisis as Millions of Children Miss Routine Vaccinations
Millions of children missed routine vaccinations this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Blue Cross Blue Shield Association news release.
The BCBSA said around 9 million vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria, tetanus and polio could be missed by the end of 2020, according to data.
Forty percent of parents and guardians cited the pandemic as the reason their children didn’t get vaccinated.
“The U.S. is on the precipice of a severe immunization crisis among children,” Dr. Vincent Nelson, chief medical officer at the BCBSA, said in a news release.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly interrupted adherence to vaccination schedules, and the possibility that preventable diseases, like polio, could become a threat to public health once again is particularly concerning,” Nelson continued.
The number of children getting vaccinated declined especially from March through May and in August, the news release said.
The BCBSA warned that if children don’t get these vaccines, “communities are at risk of seeing outbreaks of childhood diseases like measles and whooping cough.”
“Family physicians, pediatricians and community health centers are well prepared and are taking measures to ensure their offices are safe. We urge parents to ensure all childhood vaccinations are up to date,” Nelson said.
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