The corona pandemic, conflicts and crises have delayed efforts to help more people lead better lives around the world. Children and women are particularly affected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday at the Global Health Summit in Berlin. Hunger and poverty have increased, and there are clear signs of an increase in underage marriage, domestic violence, and depression and anxiety among teenagers, a report shows.
risk of serious illness
Accordingly, 21 million children worldwide were not sufficiently vaccinated in 2021, six million more than in 2019, before the outbreak of the corona pandemic. This puts them at risk for serious illness. In Africa, which the WHO only declared polio-free in 2020, the first cases have already appeared again this year.
“Although children and adolescents are less likely to experience serious health consequences from SARS-CoV-2 infection than adults, several years of disruption in education, health, nutrition and social services will continue to affect their lives,” the statement said. from WHO.
Increase in malnutrition
According to the report, 150 million more people went hungry last year than in 2019. In the poorest countries, the malnutrition rate rose from 8% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2021.
The world is not on track to meet the United Nations development goals by 2030, which have clear targets in areas such as health, nutrition and education. For this, among other things, basic medical care must be improved, even in the most remote regions and conflict zones. Women and girls in particular need better educational opportunities to learn more about health, healthy nutrition, fitness and pregnancy. Water supply and sanitation, as well as food security, need to be improved in many places.