Significantly fewer children and young people are vaccinated

During the corona pandemic, the number of vaccinations among children and young people in Germany fell by eleven percent. This was the result of a representative special analysis as part of the child and youth report by DAK-Gesundheit, as the health insurance company announced on Monday in Hamburg. Extrapolated to the population, according to the DAK, around 680,000 fewer girls and boys were vaccinated against diseases such as whooping cough and tetanus. For the analysis, the DAK had outpatient treatment data from all DAK-insured children and adolescents from 2021 examined and compared with figures from the pre-pandemic year 2019.

DAK CEO Andreas Storm and the Federal Association of Pediatricians, who confirmed the analysis results, warned of the consequences. “We have been observing a decline in vaccination rates among children and adolescents for some time. In the corona pandemic, this negative trend has intensified," said Storm. There is now an “acute need for action”, otherwise the health of many young people will “suddenly be threatened again by diseases that were considered almost eradicated”. Storm called for an awareness campaign. "We have to close the vaccination gaps now," said association president Thomas Fischbach.

The initial vaccination rate for diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio dropped particularly sharply at 31 percent. For the overall vaccination (first and last dose of a vaccination cycle as well as booster vaccinations) against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus and polio, the analysis recorded a minus of 23 percent. In the area of ​​meningococcal C, 19 percent fewer children and adolescents received a vaccination. Overall HPV vaccinations for cancer screening fell by 13 percent.

While the measles, mumps, rubella triple shot fell by 18 percent, the quadruple shot for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox increased by 18 percent, offsetting the decline. "The balanced rate of multiple vaccinations with measles is certainly the result of compulsory measles vaccination," says Fischbach. In the case of the initial pneumococcal vaccination, for which there is a fixed age-related vaccination date, constant vaccination rates can be observed during the pandemic, it said.

According to the analysis, the number of visits to the doctor also decreased by four percent. Across Germany, around 1.3 million fewer girls and boys went to practices than before the pandemic.