Health

UN Warns of ‘Alarming’ Drop in Child Vaccines During Coronavirus

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2020/07/29 21:52

Today's Vocabulary

1.alarming (adj)
something that is worrisome or dangerous

2. routine (adj)
a common or usual activity

3.immunity (n)
to be vaccinated against a disease

 

 

4. pandemic (n)
a contagious disease that moves from one country to another

 

 

5. immunize (v)
to vaccinate someone against a disease

6.challenge (n)
something that is difficult to do


UN Warns of ‘Alarming’ Drop in Child Vaccines During Coronavirus

The United Nations has warned of an “alarming” decrease in the number of children receiving life-saving vaccines around the world.

The drop included vaccinations for preventable diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and measles, the U.N. said in a statement. The U.N.’s World Health Organization and UNICEF blame the decrease on the change in routine health care caused by the coronavirus crisis.

“Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools in the history of public health, and more children are now being immunized than ever before,” WHO chief Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

“But the pandemic has put those gains at risk. The avoidable suffering and death caused by children missing out on routine immunizations could be far greater than COVID-19 itself.”

The WHO and UNICEF said that even when vaccines are available, many children who need them are afraid to leave their homes because of the coronavirus. Others face difficulties traveling because of COVID-19 restrictions.

More than 20 life-threatening diseases can now be prevented by immunization, the WHO reports. In addition, new vaccines for major killers like diarrhea, cervical cancer, cholera and meningitis are being introduced in several countries, the agency said.

Resource: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/un-warns-of-alarming-drop-in-child-vaccines-during-coronavirus

Discussion

 

  1. What springs to your  mind when you hear the word ‘immunization’?
  2. Do immunizations and vaccines work?
  3. What’s the difference between immunization and vaccination?

 

 

“Covid-19 offers us a great opportunity for individual and collective recession. It is a time to go back to the drawing board and rewrite the next phase of our existence. The upcoming generation has to read about how we fought this pandemic with or without vaccines in order to overcome similar situations during their times.”

Olawale Daniel

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