COVID-19 may cause another outbreak with immunization gap

Fear of healthcare-associated infection halted essential vaccination schedule

Measles and whooping cough are at high risk, “Need to receive catch-up immunization”

The National Immunization Program (NIP) for both children and adult is stepping into an alarming state as a gap in the program is widening while the COVID-19 curve has not been flattened, yet.

 

The fear of healthcare-associated infection is surging amid the COVID-19 outbreak and many people are avoiding hospital visits as a precaution.

 

But immunization experts are voicing concerns of a secondary impact as COVID-19 bringing down the children’s immunization rate drastically.

 

Fear of COVID-19 outbreak hindering state-run vaccination program According to medical industry on Apr.

 

3 the COVID-19 outbreak has caused a sharp drop in the vaccination rate in Korea compared to last year.

 

The outbreak-stricken people around the country have started avoiding healthcare institutes as their fear of infection has outweighed the benefits of receiving vaccination.

 

Including university hospitals, most of hospitals and clinics are basically paralyzed with most of people cancelling the vaccination appointment.

 

A pediatrics and adolescents doctor at a clinic in Bundang commented, “To tell the truth, the pediatrics are open but without any actual patients visiting and not even for vaccination.

 

Some parents and their children visit hospitals wearing with all kinds of preventive equipment, but we had no one visiting for vaccination in last month.” “Although the hospital is sending out text messages regarding vaccination schedule to registered contacts, but none of them has showed up on their scheduled dates.

 

Even when outpatients who need follow-up visitation are avoiding university hospitals, who would think of visiting clinics for vaccination?” the director added.

 

University hospitals continue to provide medical service for patients with severe conditions, but generally all vaccination schedules have fallen through.

 

A university hospital director in Seoul explained, “As the virus is still spreading across the country, the hospital is strictly controlling incoming visitors with a fever check at entrance and separate doors to pediatrics.

 

We do not allow walk-ins but require an appointment-basis visits and a visitor’s guardian is restricted to only one.” “All doctors, nurses and even reception staffs are wearing level D PPE at the hospital.

 

Although the hospital is far better prepared than during the past MERS outbreak, fear of infection has taken over the visitors and most of appointments including vaccination are canceled at the moment,” the hospital director said.

 

Vaccination experts worried over adult vaccination gap firing up a secondary outbreak The medical experts carefully express their concern over the gap in essential immunization of hepatitis B, BCG, DTap, varicella and MMR.

 

These diseases could cause cross infection between an adult to a child and vice versa, which could entail another nationwide outbreak.

 

When the seroprevalence rate of hepatitis in adults in 30s and 40s has fallen under 20 percent, continuous delay in vaccination on all adults and children could start a detrimental outbreak.

 

As the adults with low seroprevalence rate are highly likely to have become parents by now, a whole household with children could be vulnerable to the infection.

 

An infectious disease expert at a doctor’s association in South Gyeongsang province pointed out, “The seroprevalence rate in Korean adults over the age of 20 is at around 10 percent, because most of them had not received boosting injection.

 

So delayed vaccination in their children could put their whole family in danger.” Concerns on measles and whooping cough are also high.

 

Many of adults have not had boosting injection for measles vaccines.

 

Whooping cough was close to eradication in Korea, but the immunization rate has been constantly falling due to the lack of public awareness and prevalence rate in Korea climbing up every year.

 

According to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KOEDC), nine cases of whooping cough were reported in 2008 but the number has surpassed 800 in 2018 and 1,000 in 2019.

 

Since the outbreak in 2018, measles is a high-risk as the nationwide immunization rate has dropped.

 

An executive director at the Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases pointed out, “As pertussis is spreading through adults these days, delaying or cancelling vaccination could put many people at a huge risk.

 

Korea is definitely not safe from pertussis.” The executive director stressed, “At least measles and DTaP vaccination included in the NIP should be done.

 

As polyvalent vaccines with DTaP are available now, public awareness of the vaccines should be raised better” Accordingly, medical experts argue the government should recognize the state’s widening gap in vaccinations and plan out response actions.

 

The infectious disease expert from the doctor’s association warned, “The biggest obstacle in the immunization program amid the COVID-19 outbreak is the growing fear of healthcare-associated infection and public health centers unable to provide services.

 

If the current situation is to continue for a long time, the nationwide immunization rate would dip alarmingly, and other infectious disease could start spreading.” The expert added, “The government should raise awareness of the poor immunization state and related risk to prevent other outbreaks.

 

Families with children, who have missed the vaccination schedule, should look into catch-up immunization schedule immediately.”