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Message: [QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 46164, member: 636"] Global efforts to protect children from deadly diseases are failing around the world. Economic gaps between rich and poor nations create major problems for vaccination programs. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted medical services and spread false information about vaccines. These challenges put millions of young lives at risk from preventable illnesses. Scientists studied vaccination rates across 204 countries and territories for a new report. The World Health Organization vaccination program saved 154 million lives during the past 50 years. Vaccination rates doubled between 1980 and 2023 for diseases like measles and polio. Progress began slowing during the 2010s when measles shots decreased in about half of all nations. The coronavirus pandemic made vaccination problems much worse for families worldwide. Medical lockdowns stopped routine health services and left 13 million children without any vaccine protection from 2020 to 2023. Most unvaccinated children live in eight poor countries located in Africa. The European Union recorded ten times more measles cases last year compared to 2023. Disease outbreaks are spreading rapidly across multiple regions and threatening public health gains. The United States reported over 1,000 measles cases across 30 states last month. Pakistan and Afghanistan face rising polio infections after years of progress. Papua New Guinea currently battles a dangerous polio outbreak among its population. The Trump administration cut foreign aid funding earlier this year and damaged global health programs. Bill Gates warned that child death rates will likely increase for the first time in decades. He pledged $1.6 billion to vaccine organizations during a Brussels fundraising meeting. [/QUOTE]

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