WHO, UNICEF Concerned Over Stalled Global Child Immunisation

A new report has raised concern over global child immunisation that stalled in 2023.

According to data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, 2.7 million additional children were un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

“The latest trends demonstrate that many countries continue to miss far too many children,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“Closing the immunization gap requires a global effort, with governments, partners, and local leaders investing in primary healthcare and community workers to ensure every child gets vaccinated, and that overall healthcare is strengthened,” Russell observed.

According to the findings, the number of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) in 2023 – a key marker for global immunization coverage – stalled at 84% (108 million).

However, the number of children who did not receive a single dose of the vaccine increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million in 2023.

More than half of unvaccinated children live in the 31 countries with fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings.

Those children are especially vulnerable to preventable diseases because of disruptions and lack of access to security, nutrition, and health services.

6.5 million children did not complete their third dose of the DTP vaccine, which is necessary to achieve disease protection in infancy and early childhood.

Nevertheless, PAHO reported progress in vaccination coverage across the Americas.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),  highlighted that the Americas is the only WHO Region that has exceeded the pre-pandemic vaccination levels since 2019.

But he warned that some countries still lag behind.

In this regard, Barbosa emphasised the need for continuous efforts to “once again achieve the vaccination coverage that historically put us at the top of the global ranking.””