The uptake of children’s vaccines remained “steadily high” in Malta during the coronavirus pandemic when the vast majority of children were given the jabs listed in the National Immunisation Schedule, Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci said.
On the occasion of World Immunisation Week this week, the United Nations reported that some 67 million children partially or fully missed routine vaccines globally between 2019 and 2021 because of lockdowns and healthcare disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The situation in Malta, however, remained stable and vaccine uptake remained “steadily high” with uptakes ranging between 89 and 99 per cent, depending on the type of vaccine, during the years 2019, 2020 and 2021.
“Despite the disruptions caused by the pandemic, that came to Malta in 2020, the uptake of these vaccines was immediately high. During the height of the pandemic, several measures were taken to ensure that parents felt safe when taking their children to be vaccinated at the Primary Health Care immunisation clinics. This was done by keeping these clients segregated from those attending the rest of the health centre and, as far as possible from infective cases,” Gauci said.
Moreover, in 2020, the Scheme for the Administration of Scheduled Vaccines in Private Practice was introduced.
During the height of the pandemic, several measures were taken to ensure that parents felt safe when taking their children to be vaccinated at the Primary Health Care immunisation clinics- Charmaine Gauci
Paediatricians and general practitioners in private practice who register with this scheme are now provided with vaccines by Primary Health Care to be administered in private practice. Through this scheme, parents can take their children to their paediatrician or private GP for the administration of vaccines, paying only the fee for administration.
“During the uncertain times resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the fact that parents could take their children to be vaccinated by a medical professional of their choice may have also aided in maintaining the high uptake of vaccinations in Malta,” Gauci said.
Paediatrician Mark Buttigieg said that while vaccine hesitancy in Malta existed, as parents questions the need for certain vaccines for their children, uptake remained high.
“As a general rule, vaccination is one of the single most important primary prevention methods. We don’t vaccinate for nothing. We vaccinate against serious, life-threatening conditions and we continue because they are not eradicated,” he said, adding that the Maltese Paediatrics Association, of which he is president, works closely with Public Health authorities.
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