Global childhood immunization coverage stagnated in 2023, resulting in 2.7 million more children being under-vaccinated compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels.
According to The PUNCH, this was revealed in a data released on Monday by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
The recent WHO and UNICEF national immunization coverage estimates, presenting the world’s largest and most comprehensive dataset on immunization trends for vaccines against 14 diseases, highlight the necessity for ongoing catch-up, recovery, and system-strengthening initiatives.
“The latest trends demonstrate that many countries continue to miss far too many children.
“Closing the immunisation 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,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
In 2023, global immunization coverage for children receiving three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine remained stagnant at 84%, totaling 108 million. Conversely, the number of children without any dose increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million.
Over half of the unvaccinated children reside in 31 countries facing fragile conditions, conflict, or vulnerability, exacerbating risks of preventable diseases due to service disruptions and limited access to essentials like security, nutrition, and healthcare.
Moreover, 6.5 million children missed completing their third DTP vaccine dose critical for early-life disease protection.
These trends underline persistent challenges in healthcare service disruptions, logistical hurdles, vaccine hesitancy, and disparities in healthcare access.
Additionally, measles vaccination rates saw little improvement in 2023, with nearly 35 million children lacking full or partial protection.
WHO reported that 83% of children globally received their first measles vaccine dose through routine health services, while 74% completed their second dose, showing only marginal gains from the previous year.
“These figures fall short of the 95 per cent coverage needed to prevent outbreaks, avert unnecessary disease and deaths, and achieve measles elimination goals.
“Over the last five years, measles outbreaks hit 103 countries – home to roughly three-quarters of the world’s infants. Low vaccine coverage (80 per cent or less) was a major factor. In contrast, 91 countries with strong measles vaccine coverage did not experience outbreaks,” it said.
“Measles outbreaks are the canary in the coal mine, exposing and exploiting gaps in immunisation and hitting the most vulnerable first
“This is a solvable problem. The measles vaccine is cheap and can be delivered even in the most difficult places. WHO is committed to working with all our partners to support countries to close these gaps and protect the most at-risk children as quickly as possible,” said the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus
The UN agencies also pointed out that the latest data revealed some positive developments in immunization coverage.
The ongoing introduction of new vaccines, such as those for human papillomavirus, meningitis, pneumococcal disease, polio, and rotavirus, is steadily extending protection. This progress is particularly notable in the 57 countries aided by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“For example, the share of adolescent girls globally who received at least 1 dose of the HPV vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer, increased from 20 per cent in 2022 to 27 per cent in 2023.
“This was largely driven by strong introductions in Gavi-supported countries, such as Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Nigeria. The use of the single-dose HPV vaccine schedule also helped boost vaccine coverage,” it noted.
“The HPV vaccine is one of the most impactful vaccines in Gavi’s portfolio, and it is incredibly heartening that it is now reaching more girls than ever before,” said the CEO of Gavi, Dr Sania Nishtar. “With vaccines now available to over 50% of eligible girls in African countries, we have much work to be done, but today we can see we have a clear pathway to eliminating this terrible disease.”
