Global vaccination

NPR -  An estimated 14 million children worldwide do not receive any vaccines, according to UNICEF estimates. More than half of these kids live in conflict-affected countries. While some of this is due to vaccine hesitancy, the main reason these children miss vaccinations is a caregiver's lack of awareness or difficulty accessing health facilities. The toll of a missed vaccine can last a lifetime. Here's what could happen:  💉 Pneumococcal disease and rotavirus are among the most common causes of serious illness. Pneumococcal disease can cause pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death for all children under 5. Rotavirus is the most common culprit for diarrhea in children under 5 in lower-resource countries. 💉Unvaccinated children in conflict-affected countries may also suffer from malnutrition, which affects their immune response. Malnutrition can lead to even worse outcomes, including death, if an unvaccinated child is infected.  💉 Even if a child survives an infectious disease, they may not be left unscathed. Measles, mumps and other vaccine-preventable diseases can cause permanent damage, including hearing loss, infertility and blindness.  💉 Children of unvaccinated mothers can get vaccine-preventable diseases even before they're born.