Gaps in childhood vaccination increase risk of polio re-emergence in Europe

Some 2.4 million children in Europe may not have received full polio vaccination between 2012 and 2021, leaving the virus at risk of re-introduction to the European continent.

The data from the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) was released this Monday, at the start of European Immunization Week, and is the result of an update on the polio situation during this period, which shows that “approximately 2.4 million children in the EU/ EEA [União Europeia e Espaço Económico Europeu] may not have received all three doses of polio vaccine on time.”

In addition, the recently released ECDC Annual Epidemiological Report on Measles 2022 also highlights the risks associated with outbreaks of undervaccinated or unimmunized populations.

“Although the European region was declared free of polio in 2002, the virus continues to be periodically detected in wild form or as vaccine strains in other regions. Fortunately, due to adequate surveillance practices and generally high vaccination coverage, this has not resulted in sustained transmission in the EU/EEA or the detection of human cases,” the ECDS said in a statement.

ECDC director Andrea Ammon warns, quoted in the communiqué, that “as long as there are populations in European countries that are unvaccinated or under-vaccinated and polio is not eradicated worldwide, the risk of re-introduction of the virus in Europe remains.” “.

“Furthermore, in the case of measles, which is highly contagious, the virus can spread to pockets of unprotected populations when vaccination coverage is not optimal. This could lead to outbreaks that could put a strain on health systems, including in countries that have eliminated measles,” warns Andrea Ammon.

The EDCD highlights that despite the proven safety and efficacy of vaccines, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases continue to occur in European countries, as well as around the world, due to insufficient vaccination coverage.

“Despite the overall good performance of EU/EEA immunization programs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the huge efforts to make this happen, there are significant immunization gaps and differences in immunization coverage across countries and regions,” he stresses.

Although the Annual Measles Report shows a 99% decrease in measles cases in 2022 compared to 2018, this was likely due to prevention and control measures taken during the pandemic, with data showing that children in under one year of age still constitute the group with the highest incidence of measles, as they are too young to be vaccinated and therefore must be protected by public immunity.

ECDC says European Immunization Week is a “key moment” to raise awareness of the benefits and importance of vaccination, requiring “continuous efforts” to identify immunity gaps in all people, especially among vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations such as refugees, migrants, asylum seekers.

“Accelerated efforts are needed to improve immunization campaigns and promote vaccine uptake and uptake in order to achieve and maintain high immunization coverage against vaccine-preventable diseases,” he argues.