Global Vaccination Efforts Plateau: Millions of Children Still at Risk
While global childhood vaccination coverage for 2024 remains largely steady, with 89% of infants worldwide receiving at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, new data reveals persistent and alarming gaps. This figure, representing approximately 115 million infants, highlights modest gains but underscores significant challenges in reaching every child, according to a report released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.
DTP Coverage: A Stalled Benchmark
The DTP vaccine serves as a crucial indicator for global immunization efforts. Though 89% of infants received their first DTP dose, only 85% (around 109 million infants) completed all three doses of the DTP series in 2024. This represents a mere 1% increase in full DTP coverage compared to 2023, translating to an additional 1 million children fully vaccinated. Despite these incremental improvements, overall progress has stalled in many regions, leaving the world off track from achieving the ambitious Immunization Agenda 2030 goals.
The Alarming Reality of Unvaccinated Children
The seemingly high overall coverage masks significant disparities. Disturbingly:
Nearly 20 million infants missed at least one dose of a DTP-containing vaccine in 2024.
Of these, 14.3 million are classified as "zero-dose" children, meaning they have never received a single dose of any routine vaccine. This figure is 4 million higher than the 2024 target set by the Immunization Agenda 2030 and 1.4 million more than in 2019.
Nine countries alone account for over half of all "zero-dose" children globally: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Angola.
Conflict and humanitarian crises are proving to be major impediments. A quarter of the world's infants reside in 26 countries affected by fragility, conflict, or humanitarian crises, yet these nations tragically account for half of all unvaccinated children worldwide.
Measles Outbreaks on a Dangerous Upswing
The situation concerning measles, a highly contagious disease, is particularly dire. While global coverage for the first dose of measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) saw a slight increase to 84% in 2024, and the second dose (MCV2) reached 76%, these figures remain well below the critical 95% coverage needed to prevent widespread outbreaks and achieve herd immunity.
As a direct consequence, the number of countries experiencing large or disruptive measles outbreaks has nearly doubled in just two years, surging from 33 countries in 2022 to 60 countries in 2024. The U.S. is currently grappling with its worst measles outbreak in over three decades, while Europe recorded 125,000 cases in 2024—double the previous year's figures. Globally, over 30 million children remain under-protected against measles, leaving them highly vulnerable to infection.
Challenges and Urgent Call to Action
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that drastic cuts in international aid, coupled with the pervasive spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety, threaten to unravel decades of hard-won progress. Access to vaccines remains "deeply unequal," and fragile health systems, especially in conflict-affected regions, continue to pose significant hurdles.
Despite these daunting challenges, there's a ray of hope in the promising growth of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, with 31% of adolescent girls receiving at least one dose in 2024, up from 27% in 2023.
Experts are urgently calling for renewed global efforts, increased financial investment, and the development of innovative strategies to reach every child. Prioritizing vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations is paramount to averting future outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases and safeguarding the health of the next generation.
