GENEVA: Global childhood vaccination levels have stalled, leaving around 2.7 million children lacking the protection they need compared to the pre-COVID-19 levels of 2019, UN agencies said on Sunday, warning of dangerous coverage gaps enabling outbreaks of diseases like measles.

That is according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) snapshot of trends for vaccinations against 14 diseases-all of which underlines the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery, and system-strengthening efforts.

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

The data revealed that previous progress in reaching pre-pandemic immunisation levels has stalled. Worldwide diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) immunisation coverage was 84% in 2023, the same as in 2022 but below 86% recorded in 2019.

This stagnation reflects ongoing challenges with disruptions in healthcare services, logistical challenges, vaccin
e hesitancy and inequities in access to services, the report added.

The new report also showed that the number of children who had not received a single dose of the DTP vaccine increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million in 2023.

Additionally, 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.

The data further highlighted that vaccination rates against the deadly measles disease stalled, leaving nearly 35 million children lacking sufficient protection.

In 2023, only 83 percent of children worldwide received their first dose of the measles vaccine under-immunised health services, while the number of children receiving their second dose modestly increased from the previous year, reaching 74% of children.

These figures fall short of the 95 percent coverage needed to prevent outbreaks, avert unnecessary disease and deaths, and achieve measles elimination goals.

Source: Emirates News Agency