Schwerin (dpa/mv) - According to the health insurance company DAK, the number of vaccinations for children and adolescents in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has decreased significantly during the corona pandemic. Compared to 2019, there was a minus of twelve percent in 2021, as the health insurance company announced on Tuesday after evaluating its own insured data. Extrapolated to the population, this means that around 20,000 fewer girls and boys from MV were vaccinated.
The data from 25,000 DAK-insured children and young people in the northeast were evaluated. They are representative.
The decline in HPV initial vaccinations for cancer screening was particularly pronounced at minus 34 percent, it said. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has recommended HPV vaccination for girls since 2007 and for boys since 2018. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is sexually transmitted and can cause cervical, anal, penile, and oropharyngeal cancer. Vaccination should be given before the first sexual intercourse.
Even with "classic" vaccinations such as against diphtheria and whooping cough, the health insurance company is observing declines. In the case of tetanus and polio, the minus is said to be 18 percent. DAK country manager Sabine Hansen warned of the consequences of vaccination gaps. "Our analysis shows that even established vaccinations have been neglected," she said. This could have dire consequences. There is an urgent need for action. "Otherwise, the health of many young people will suddenly be threatened again by diseases that were thought to be almost eradicated."
