Girls and boys are not receiving the necessary vaccines to prevent diseases such as tuberculosis or diphtheria.
The progress of the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 has the attention of the whole world. It is a priority in government actions, however, we are forgetting about the other vaccines. Those that managed to eliminate and control diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and hepatitis.
And although our country has one of the most complete free vaccination schemes in the world, coverage has been in decline.
Currently, in Mexico, we are at the worst vaccination level in the last 18 years, which means that we are facing the risk that the eradicated diseases will reappear or that there will be outbreaks of others that are now controlled. This becomes doubly dangerous in the midst of the pandemic, which still keeps the health system saturated.
This is demonstrated in the 2018-19 National Health and Nutrition Survey, where it was revealed that only 18.5% of children under one year of age have the complete vaccination scheme, that is, 8 out of 10 are not protected against diseases for which vaccines already exist.
For this reason, it is urgent that the Mexican government establish an Emerging Plan to Address and Reverse Vaccination Lags, with achievable objectives and goals and to guarantee universal coverage on a permanent basis.
Alliances with the private sector are key to increasing vaccination coverage by contributing infrastructure, logistics, financial, technical and scientific cooperation. As a society, we also have a key role. We must have a greater collective conscience; Vaccines not only protect us individually, they also help us protect other people.
The return to face-to-face classes can be an opportunity to reduce the lags in vaccination. For this, it is essential to ensure that the review of vaccination records is included and that health days are implemented.
Vaccination is part of the human right to health and must be guaranteed for everyone, but it is also a matter of national security and human security. The current experience of Covid-19 allows us to ensure that we cannot allow another pandemic, especially when it can be avoided with existing vaccines.
To learn more about visit https://apoyo.savethechildren.mx/vacunate-y-vacunales
