Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef have raised concerns over the continued rise in the number of children missing life-saving vaccines.
The organisations said 20 million children globally were not vaccinated in 2024, including 14,3 million who did not receive a single dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine.
This is despite a marginal improvement in global immunisation coverage, with 85 percent of infants worldwide-approximately 109 million-receiving the recommended three doses of the DTP vaccine in 2024, up from 84 percent in 2023.
In a joint statement, UNICEF Deputy Director and Chief Statistician João Pedro Azevedo said the latest data highlighted significant disparities in vaccine access, especially in conflict-affected and fragile countries.
“Although we are seeing improvement, the fact that 14,3 million children remain completely unvaccinated should be a red flag for global health systems,” Azevedo said.
“We cannot afford to be complacent. Equity must remain at the heart of immunisation strategies.”
UNICEF Associate Director for Health and Chief of Immunisation Ephrem Lemango said access to vaccines remained unequal and vulnerable to global instability.
“Half of all unvaccinated children live in just 26 countries affected by fragility, conflict or humanitarian crises,” Lemango said.
“In 13 of these, the number of unvaccinated children has increased over the past five years. These are not just numbers, they represent lives at risk.”
According to WHO and UNICEF, the increase in “zero-dose” children reflects slow progress in reaching vulnerable populations, a key target under the Immunisation Agenda 2030, which aims to halve the number of children who do not receive any routine vaccines.
They warned that vaccine coverage is beginning to decline in some middle-income countries that have transitioned from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance’s financial support.
Signs of falling coverage are also emerging in upper-middle and high-income countries due to misinformation and reduced funding.
“Funding shortfalls, misinformation, and global instability threaten the progress made,” reads the statement.
UNICEF and WHO have urged governments and global health stakeholders to prioritise immunisation in national health budgets and humanitarian responses, particularly in crisis-affected regions.
They have also encouraged the use of newly updated dashboards, datasets and regional profiles to support data-driven decision-making in improving immunisation coverage.
The WUENIC (WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage) data remained the most comprehensive source of global immunisation trends and is used to track progress toward global health targets.
