Delays in childhood vaccinations could lead to outbreaks, experts warn

Parents and pediatricians across the US are not vaccinating their children during the coronavirus pandemic, leading experts to warn that such delays could cause outbreaks of preventable diseases later in the year.

“Immunization is an essential health service which may be affected by the current Covid-19 pandemic,” the World Health Organization said recently in a statement. “Disruption of immunization services, even for brief periods, will result in increased numbers of susceptible individuals and raise the likelihood of outbreak-prone vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) such as measles.”

Amid the Covid-19 public health crisis, some parents who normally support vaccinations are recoiling at the idea of taking their kids to a doctor’s office. Meanwhile, providers are figuring out whether they can safely treat all their young patients in-person, and if not, which children take priority.

Lauren Begen’s son was supposed to go for his six-month vaccines in mid-April. But, as Boston barrels toward the apex of its Covid-19 outbreak, their family is staying at home as much as possible to avoid exposure to the virus. They’re making decisions they never thought possible, including delaying their baby’s booster vaccinations after speaking with their doctor.

“I don’t love it, but I think honestly it was kind of obvious,” Begen said. “I mean, they’ve put a lot of practices in place to protect themselves and patients, but the reality is you can only do so much.”

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