Pandemic behind 'largest backslide in childhood vaccination in a generation' - U.N

FILE PHOTO: A nurse wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) gives routine vaccines to a baby held by his mother in a local health center in Manila, Philippines January 27, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

LONDON (Reuters) - Around 25 million children around the world missed out on routine vaccinations that protect against life-threatening diseases last year, as the knock-on effects of the pandemic continue to disrupt health care globally.

That is two million more children than in 2020, when COVID-19 caused lockdowns around the world, and six million more than pre-pandemic in 2019, according to new figures released by Unicef and the World Health Organization.