Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Vaccination Compliance Among Children Attending Assiut University Children Hospital

Corona virus disease (COVID-19) is a disease caused by a new corona virus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On March 11, the WHO Director-General declared COVID-19 a pandemic1. The first outbreak occurred in Wuhan, China. 2,3 COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected global health services.4 It is important not to overlook the value of some public health preventive interventions which cannot be postponed, such as vaccinations.5 As reported by WHO, the disruption of immunization services, even for brief periods, will result in increased numbers of susceptible individuals, raising the risks of an upsurge in outbreak-prone VPDs.6 The reduction of vaccination coverage could cause an increase in morbidity and mortality among children. Consequently, a greater burden could be placed on health systems. Examples from previous large epidemics (e.g. diphtheria in the former Soviet Union in 1990-1996 and in Venezuela in 2017-2018) show that, when vaccination coverage falls or vaccinations are disrupted, cases of infectious diseases that have disappeared can quickly re-emerge.7-8 Egypt declared a national state of emergency to control COVID-19 pandemic and implemented a stay-at-home order. Such strategies might result in decreased accessibility to routine immunization services, leaving children at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases and their complications.9 Great efforts are needed for rapid catch-up of children not up-to-date with routine vaccines. Parental concerns about potentially exposing their children to COVID-19 during vaccination visits might contribute to incompalince.10 Reminding parents of the vital need to protect their children against serious vaccine-preventable diseases is critical.