3 in 10 children in Mexico have received their recommended vaccinations.
Highlights:
- The Mexican Academy of Pediatrics, the Mexican Association of Vaccinology, the Pan American Health Organization, Medical IMPACT, Pact for Early Childhood, Save the Children Mexico, and OXFAM Mexico, among other civil society organizations, recently urged the government to address the severe lag in vaccination schedules for minors and promote the identification of elements to improve public vaccination policy.
- The lack of multisectoral cooperation, the infrastructure challenges, the low availability of vaccines, the absence of an effective mechanism for its monitoring, and the breaking of myths of the population regarding vaccination are contributing factors to the low coverage rate.
In 1991, the Mexican government established the Universal Vaccination Program to prevent communicable diseases, such as poliomyelitis and tuberculosis, and protect children’s health. Although the program exists today, seeking 90% coverage in each age group, only three in 10 children in the country have received all their recommended vaccinations. These figures put into perspective the program’s effectiveness where, according to the World Health Organization, a goal of universal health coverage initiatives is to provide “access to the full range of quality health services (people) need, when and where they need them.”
While our healthcare system covers certain basic healthcare needs, it also has a restricted network that has come under fire from the COVID-19 pandemic. The times we live in have posed a global challenge to healthcare systems, among other things: by increasing demand on healthcare facilities, highlighting a persistent lack of adequately trained healthcare professionals, and, more recently, delaying access to vaccines, both those related to the prevention of COVID-19 and others that are part of the Universal Vaccination Program.
The Mexican Academy of Pediatrics, the Mexican Association of Vaccinology, the Pan American Health Organization, Medical IMPACT, Pact for Early Childhood, Save the Children Mexico, and OXFAM Mexico, among other civil society organizations, recently urged the government to address the severe lag in vaccination schedules for minors and promote the identification of elements to improve public vaccination policy.
Doctor Giorgio Franyuti, executive director of Medical IMPACT, highlights the importance of “formulating inclusive reforms for all and strengthening vaccination campaigns adapted to the context.” Likewise, the lack of multisectoral cooperation, the infrastructure challenges, the low availability of vaccines, the absence of an effective mechanism for its monitoring, and the breaking of myths of the population regarding vaccination are some contributing factors to the low coverage rate. Regarding the latter, 25% of Mexicans do not accept vaccines, and more than 50% do not have sufficient information about vaccination, according to data from Dr. Rodrigo Romero Feregrino, general secretary of the Mexican Vaccinology Association.
Formulating inclusive reforms for all and strengthening vaccination campaigns adapted to the context.
Giorgio Franyuti
The organizations have demanded in the Chamber of Deputies that vaccines be purchased and distributed efficiently throughout the country, particularly to the most marginalized populations. In addition to allocating adequate resources in the 2023 Federation Expenditure Budget to recover or improve the infrastructure. Finally, they proposed to create a multisectoral Front to meet these needs in the country and exert pressure to launch an adequate Nominal Vaccination Registry and review pending initiatives. Without a doubt, vaccines are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases and should be a public health priority.
