With all this talk of soon™-to-be-approved Covid vaccines and their extra half a percent of efficacy, we might miss data recently published by Blue Cross Blue Shield indicating a 26% decline in childhood vaccinations year over year in the United States. The current pandemic was cited as a common reason for missing routine medical care.
“The U.S. is on the precipice of a severe immunization crisis among children,” said the organization’s chief medical officer.
The total number of vaccination doses for measles, mumps & rubella (MMR), diptheria, tetanus & acellular pertussis (DTaP), and polio is estimated to be approximately 9 million. The shortfall will have follow on consequences, not least of which is reduced vaccination rates leading to diminished herd immunity. The fear lurking deeper beneath that: the reemergence of diseases once believed “eradicated”.
Global public health institutions (the CDC, the WHO, UNICEF, etc.) warn that action is needed to avert major waves of measles, polio, and whooping cough.
Please vaccinate your children.