Coronavirus impact | WHO, UNICEF warn of polio, measles resurgence as COVID-19 disrupts healthcare services

Both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have warned of a resurgence of polio and measles as the novel coronavirus pandemic has disrupted other health services across the world.

Issuing an urgent call to action on November 6, both the UN organisations reminded that the pandemic has not only brought the entire world to its knees, but also disrupted immunization services across the globe, reported Livemint. Due to this, millions of children now run the risk of contracting preventable diseases, they said.For live updates on coronavirus, click here

“We cannot allow the fight against one deadly disease to cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases. Addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic is critical. However, other deadly diseases also threaten the lives of millions of children in some of the poorest areas of the world,” Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, said.

As per the WHO and UNICEF estimates, $655 million - $400 million for polio vaccines and $255 million for measles – is needed to bridge immunity gaps in countries that are not eligible for Gavi.

WHO said the world is already witnessing a resurgence of measles, which has worsened further due to vaccination coverage gaps triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2019 saw the highest number of new measles infections in over 20 years.

As per the WHO’s measles surveillance data 2019, India occupies the fourth spot among 194 countries vis-à-vis the number of new measles cases registered in a year. Madagascar has reported the highest number of new measles cases at 150,976, followed by Ukraine at 84,394, the Philippines at 45,847, and India at 39,299 cases.

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