Children Lagging in Routine Vaccinations Due to Pandemic

The onset of the pandemic over two years ago drastically disrupted daily routines, leading to a decline in essential activities, including children’s annual health check-ups and necessary vaccinations. Public health experts are sounding the alarm about this concerning trend. A coalition of pediatricians, school nurses, immunization advocates, and state officials across multiple states has reported that children are falling behind on routine vaccinations for preventable diseases such as measles, chickenpox, and meningitis.

One significant concern is that vaccine hesitancy surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine may be affecting parents’ willingness to keep up with other vaccinations. “Our goal is to keep diseases like measles and polio out of political debates,” said Dr. Sarah Lewis, a pediatrician and president of the Health Initiative for Children. Legislative efforts in various states to limit vaccinations or even remove immunization requirements in schools have emerged as potential threats to public health. Although none of these bills have passed, their introduction reflects a growing trend in vaccine hesitancy.

During the pandemic, the CDC reported a 15% decline in orders for the Vaccines for Children program, which provides vaccines to nearly half of U.S. children. By 2021, the orders were still 7% lower than pre-pandemic levels. This issue appears more pronounced in states resisting mask and vaccine mandates under the guise of protecting parental rights. For example, Florida’s health department recently claimed that “healthy children aged 5 to 17 may not benefit from the COVID-19 vaccine,” contributing to a drop in routine immunizations for 2-year-olds from 92.1% in 2019 to 79.3% in 2021. In Tennessee, there was a nearly 14% decrease in vaccine doses administered to children under 2 since the pandemic began. Similarly, in Idaho, the number of children receiving the first dose of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine fell from 21,000 before the pandemic to just 17,000 afterward.

While there have been no recent outbreaks of measles or spikes in other preventable illnesses, experts warn that the decline in routine vaccinations could lead to increased occurrences of these diseases. Currently, only 45% of eligible children in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, making it the least vaccinated age group.

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Summary

The pandemic has led to a notable decline in routine vaccinations among children, raising concerns about potential outbreaks of preventable diseases. Vaccine hesitancy surrounding COVID-19 may also be influencing parents’ decisions regarding other vaccines. Public health experts continue to advocate for the importance of keeping childhood immunizations a priority.