COVID-19 and cancelled vaccination programs: Forecasting outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) in Pakistan

Inayat Ali

doi:10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100151

COVID-19 and cancelled vaccination programs: Forecasting outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) in Pakistan

Vaccine X. 2022 Apr:10:100151. doi: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2022.100151. Epub 2022 Feb 24.

Author

Inayat Ali^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
² Department of Anthropology, Fatima Jinnah Women University, The Mall, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Abstract

As Schmid-Küpke and colleagues discuss the reasons behind cancelling the routine vaccination in Germany, the pandemic has affected all six World Health Organization Regions as around 56 countries suspended their mass vaccination campaigns during the first six months of the pandemic. The same happened in Pakistan. Consequently, there are great and valid concerns that there will be outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease (VPDs) in the country. To effectively deal with them and increase vaccine uptake, it is indispensable for the Pakistani government to consider all factors, whhile speccially engaging anthropologists for creating a well-prepared vaccination plan.

Keywords: COVID-19; Measles; Pakistan; Pandemic; Policy; Polio; Vaccination; Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (VPDs).