1
0
Global childhood vaccination rates have stabilized after declining during the COVID-19 pandemic, but more than 14 million infants remain unvaccinated, United Nations agencies warned on Tuesday, noting that disinformation and international aid cuts now pose new threats.
“Drastic aid cuts, combined with misinformation about vaccine safety, threaten to undo decades of progress,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).
In 2024, 85% of children in the target age group received all three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine (109 million children), according to data released by WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The third dose is considered a key indicator of global immunization coverage.
That’s one percentage point higher than in 2023, representing an additional one million children. These are modest gains, the UN said, while many challenges remain.
Unequal Access to Vaccines Persists
In 2024, 14.3 million children globally were considered “zero-dose” children—those who had not received a single vaccine dose. While this is a slight improvement from 14.5 million two years ago, it remains higher than the 2019 figure (13.0 million), before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health services.
“The good news is that we have succeeded in vaccinating more children with life-saving vaccines,” said Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, “but millions of children remain unprotected against preventable diseases.”
According to WHO, the world is “off track” to meet the goal of 90% coverage for key life-saving vaccines among children and adolescents by 2030.
In this regard, the report emphasizes that access to vaccines remains highly unequal.
Budget Cuts and Conflict
The UN notes that conflicts and humanitarian crises can quickly reverse progress in vaccination.
A quarter of the world’s infants live in just 26 countries affected by fragility, conflict, or humanitarian crises, and these children account for half of all unvaccinated children worldwide.
Alarmingly, in half of these countries, the number of unvaccinated children increased sharply, rising from 3.6 million in 2019 to 5.4 million in 2024—underscoring the urgent need to include vaccination in humanitarian interventions.
This situation could worsen further due to reductions in international aid, including from the United States.
“Our ability to respond to outbreaks in nearly 50 countries has been disrupted by budget cuts,” warned Ephrem Lemango, head of immunization at UNICEF, during a press conference.
The Role of Disinformation
While lack of access is the primary cause of low vaccine coverage, UN agencies also stress the danger of vaccine misinformation.
In 2024, 60 countries experienced “major or disruptive” measles outbreaks, nearly double the number in 2022 (33 countries), according to the report.
More than 30 million children remain under-vaccinated, and as a result, the number of countries facing significant outbreaks is on the rise.
A decline in confidence in “vaccine safety” contributes to gaps in herd immunity, which can be dangerous and lead to epidemic outbreaks, explained Kate O’Brien, Director of Immunization at WHO, during a briefing in Geneva.
According to UNICEF, urgent action is needed to overcome challenges such as shrinking health budgets, fragile health systems, disinformation, and conflict-related access issues.
“No child should die of a disease we know how to prevent,” emphasized Catherine Russell.
About Author
OTHER ARTICLES
Lusaka — African health ministers and partners are calling for increased investment in integrated health services to address the growing burden of severe noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), particularly those affecting women and underserved populations across the region. At a high-level side event during the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, delegates emphasized the urgent need for equitable access to prevention, screening, treatment, and rehabilitation across the continuum of care for NCDs. Disparities are especially pronounced in rural areas, where health infrastructure and services remain inadequate. Breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among women in sub-Saharan Africa—particularly cervical cancer, which is both preventable and treatable. It remains the most common cause of cancer death for women in the region. In 2022, Africa accounted for nearly a quarter (23%) of the 76 000 global cervical cancer deaths. Meanwhile, severe NCDs such as Type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, and heart conditions claim more than half a million lives annually, including among children, adolescents, and young adults in some of the continent’s poorest communities. Inequitable access to health services continues to hinder efforts to reduce this burden. To improve cervical and breast cancer care in the region, urgent investment is needed in leadership, governance, and financing. Strengthening these foundations is critical in the current funding landscape. Advancements in strategic planning, healthcare infrastructure, workforce training, and—most importantly—equitable access to screening, diagnostic, and treatment services are essential. To address these challenges, WHO and its partners showcased successful integrated models such as the Women’s Integrated Care for Cancer Services (WICS), the BEAT Breast Cancer Project, and the PEN-Plus Strategy. WICS strengthens early detection, treatment, and integration of women’s cancer services into primary health care systems in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Zimbabwe. The BEAT Breast Cancer Project is a transformative multi-year initiative aimed at reducing breast cancer mortality among women in Tanzania and Ghana through early detection, timely diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment access. “PEN-Plus, WICS and the BEAT Breast Cancer Initiative are models for a new standard of care, rooted in equity, access and health justice. I urge countries to prioritize policies that embed these models into broader health system strengthening, said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa”. Côte d’Ivoire offers a compelling example of progress, combining high HPV vaccination coverage—reaching over three million girls (91.4%)—with WICS-supported community-based screening campaigns to strengthen cervical cancer prevention. In Kenya, cervical cancer screening has been successfully integrated into national health services. “This gathering marks a pivotal moment to accelerate action for breast cancer prevention in Africa. We deeply value the leadership of the Ministries of Health of Ghana and Tanzania, and the steadfast support of the Pfizer Foundation in helping us achieve this milestone. The side event builds momentum for the policy prioritization of women’s cancers, partnerships to strengthen the broader women’s cancer ecosystem, and advance a health-systems approach to breast cancer prevention and management”, said Dr Somesh Kumar, Senior Director, Jhpiego. PEN-Plus expands access to care for severe NCDs at the district hospital level. Since its implementation, 20 countries in Africa have increased access to services for severe NCDs. Over 15 000 people are currently receiving treatment for chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease and Type 1 diabetes through PEN-Plus clinics.
Confirmed Case of Mpox in Senegal: Situation Update (as of August 27, 2025)
African health ministers adopt strategy to strengthen rehabilitation services in health care