WHO Call For Urgent Action Against Polio And Measles

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have demanded countries to take urgent actions to protect children from measles and polio epidemics.

The agencies have called upon nations to take action because millions of children are missing out on immunization against polio and measles as COVID-19 continues to disrupt immunization services worldwide.

The WHO and UNICEF estimated that 655million dollars (400million dollars for polio and 255million dollars for measles) are needed to address dangerous immunity gaps.

According to WHO Director Tedros Ghebreyesus, COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on health services and immunization services worldwide.

“But unlike with COVID, we have the tools and knowledge to stop diseases such as polio and measles. What we need are the resources and commitments to put these tools and knowledge into action. If we do that, children’s lives will be saved,” he said.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Forewarned that the world must not allow the fight against one deadly disease, COVID-19 disrupt and end fights against other deadly diseases that could cost lives of millions.

WHO Director added that there is a need for additional financial resources to safely resume vaccination campaigns and prioritize immunization systems that are critical to protect children and avert other epidemics besides COVID-19

Polio and Measles are some of the deadly diseases that threaten the lives of millions of children in the poorest areas of the world. The WHO and UNICED urgently call for global action from country leaders, donors, and partners.

The agencies added that failure to eradicate polio now would lead to a global resurgence of the disease, resulting in as many as 200,000 new cases annually within 10 years.

The Poliovirus transmission is expected to increase in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and in many under-immunized areas of Africa. Vaccination coverage gaps for both Polio and Measles have been further exacerbated in 2020 by COVID-19.