This, he pointed out, can again affect the start of classes, for which he urged to accelerate the application of covid doses in infants throughout the country.
Although in the last school year it was found that schools are not a major source of Covid-19 infections, the lack of vaccines against other diseases does represent a risk for infants, said Nancy Ramírez, director of Political Advocacy of the civil organization. Save TheChildren.
“The fact that girls and boys go to school does not represent a greater risk than being in other spaces; but the risk is still latent and so it is important that families commit to taking their daughters and sons to receive the covid vaccine. There is progress, but it is still missing, ”she indicated in an interview.
The first time that this organization, dedicated to defending the rights of children, detected a drastic drop in the application of vaccines was in 2018.
According to the results of Ensanut, that year only 19.9% of one-year-old girls and boys had a scheme of four applied vaccines. By 2021 the proportion only rose to 31.1%.
This means, explained the specialist, that children who were one year old in 2018 are now five years old, study preschool and will soon enter primary school without having various vaccines, which could put them at risk in the event of an outbreak of contagious diseases.
“Yes, there is a risk because they are boys and girls who do not have vaccines, such as measles or mumps, rubella; vaccines against tetanus, influenza, diphtheria, whooping cough. In other words, they are contagious diseases and, if a case of disease and of children who are not vaccinated are presented in schools, then it is easy for infections to proliferate and outbreaks of disease to be generated, ”he warned.
If the minors who did not receive all their vaccines in 2019, 2020 and 2021 are added, he stressed, the risk of controlled contagious diseases returning, as happened with measles in 2020, will remain latent in the coming years.
“As long as the vaccination schedule is not completed, children, including adults, will always be at risk. If any adult person at the time was not given the measles vaccine, well, today he is still vulnerable to that, ”she explained.
