South Asia warned of a child health crisis due to ongoing coronavirus pandemic

Kathmandu: South Asia could face another health emergency children across the region were likely to miss out on life-saving vaccinations due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Unicef warned on Tuesday. The region is home to some 4.5 million unimmunized or partially immunized children and most of them, or 97 per cent, live in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, the UN body said in a statement. “With lockdowns in place as a part of the novel coronavirus response, routine immunizations have been severely disrupted, and parents are increasingly reluctant to take their children to health centres for routine jabs,” Efe news quoted the statement as saying. The agency warned that sporadic outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles and diphtheria, have been detected in parts of Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal. (IANS)

Also Read: South Asia may see worst economic performance in 40 years: WB report

Also Watch: Sellers take advantage of helplessness of panic stricken citizens by overpricing commodities