14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, UN estimates
In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89 percent of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85 percent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 percent in 2023.
Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency.
And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously pledged to the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the group had 'ignored the science.' Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has previously raised questions the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine — which has proven to be safe and effective after years of study and real-world use. Vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths a year, according to UN estimates.
'Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
UN experts said that access to vaccines remained 'deeply unequal' and that conflict and humanitarian crises quickly unraveled progress; Sudan had the lowest reported coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
The data showed that nine countries accounted for 52 percent of all children who missed out on immunizations entirely: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola.
WHO and UNICEF said coverage against measles rose slightly, with 76 percent of children worldwide receiving both vaccine doses. But experts say measles vaccine rates need to reach 95 percent to prevent outbreaks of the extremely contagious disease. WHO noted that 60 countries reported big measles outbreaks last year.
The US is now having its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, while the disease has also surged across Europe , with 125,000 cases in 2024 — twice as many as the previous year, according to WHO.
Last week, British authorities reported a child died of measles in a Liverpool hospital. Health officials said that despite years of efforts to raise awareness, only about 84 percent of children in the UK are protected.
'It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles,' said Helen Bradford, a professor of children's health at University College London.
'The only way to stop measles spreading is with vaccination,' she said in a statement. 'It is never too late to be vaccinated — even as an adult.'
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Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Korea Herald
14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, UN estimates
LONDON (AP) — More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year — about the same number as the year before — according to UN health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children. In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89 percent of children under 1 year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85 percent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 percent in 2023. Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency. And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously pledged to the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the group had 'ignored the science.' Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has previously raised questions the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine — which has proven to be safe and effective after years of study and real-world use. Vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths a year, according to UN estimates. 'Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. UN experts said that access to vaccines remained 'deeply unequal' and that conflict and humanitarian crises quickly unraveled progress; Sudan had the lowest reported coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The data showed that nine countries accounted for 52 percent of all children who missed out on immunizations entirely: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola. WHO and UNICEF said coverage against measles rose slightly, with 76 percent of children worldwide receiving both vaccine doses. But experts say measles vaccine rates need to reach 95 percent to prevent outbreaks of the extremely contagious disease. WHO noted that 60 countries reported big measles outbreaks last year. The US is now having its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, while the disease has also surged across Europe , with 125,000 cases in 2024 — twice as many as the previous year, according to WHO. Last week, British authorities reported a child died of measles in a Liverpool hospital. Health officials said that despite years of efforts to raise awareness, only about 84 percent of children in the UK are protected. 'It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles,' said Helen Bradford, a professor of children's health at University College London. 'The only way to stop measles spreading is with vaccination,' she said in a statement. 'It is never too late to be vaccinated — even as an adult.'
Korea Herald
01-07-2025
- Korea Herald
Korean men consume 30% more sodium than women: KFDA
Koreans' sodium intake falls in 2023, but still 60 percent higher than WHO guideline South Koreans' average daily sodium intake dropped by 4.7 percent in 2023 compared to five years ago, but still remains 60 percent higher than the recommended daily limit, the Korea Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. According to a KFDA analysis based on surveys conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from 2019 to 2023, Koreans consumed an average of 3,136 milligrams of sodium per day in 2023, down 153 milligrams from 3,289 milligrams in 2019. Despite the decline, the findings indicate that South Koreans continue to consume more salty foods than is advised by the World Health Organization, which is 2,000 milligrams per day. The data also showed a clear gender gap in Koreans' sodium intake. While Korean men consumed an average of 3,696 milligrams of sodium per day, women averaged 2,576 milligrams, about 30 percent less than men. Meals from restaurants such as fried chicken and pizza were found to contain higher levels of sodium, averaging 1,522 milligrams per serving, compared to home-cooked dishes like rice, soup and side dishes, which averaged 1,031 milligrams. "More than half of the sodium consumed daily by Koreans came mainly from foods like noodles, dumplings, kimchi, soups, stir-fried dishes and stews," a KFDA official said. Meanwhile, Koreans' daily sugar consumption in 2023 stood at 35.5 grams, accounting for 7.7 percent of their total caloric intake, showing little change from 2019, when the average recorded 36.8 grams, or 7.6 percent of total calories. The 2023 figure remained within the WHO's recommended limit of less than 10 percent. However, sugar intake was significantly higher among female children, adolescents and young adults, with daily averages between 42.1 and 46.6 grams, which exceeded the 10 percent threshold. Roughly 47 percent of their daily intake was sourced from processed foods, including beverages (11.4 grams) and snacks, bread and rice cakes (5.4 grams). Although sodium and sugar are essential nutrients for the human body, excessive consumption can contribute to chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Since 2012, the KFDA has implemented various initiatives to reduce sodium and sugar intake, including the publication of digital recipe books that promote low-sodium cooking.
Korea Herald
01-07-2025
- Korea Herald
Over 14m could die from US foreign aid cuts: study
PARIS (AFP) — More than 14 million of the world's most vulnerable people, a third of them small children, could die because of the Trump administration's dismantling of US foreign aid, research projected Tuesday. The study in the prestigious Lancet journal was published as world and business leaders gather for a UN conference in Spain this week hoping to bolster the reeling aid sector. The US Agency for International Development had provided over 40 percent of global humanitarian funding until Donald Trump returned to the White House in January. Two weeks later, Trump's then-close adviser — and world's richest man — Elon Musk boasted of having put the agency "through the woodchipper". The funding cuts "risk abruptly halting — and even reversing — two decades of progress in health among vulnerable populations," warned study co-author Davide Rasella, a researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. "For many low- and middle-income countries, the resulting shock would be comparable in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," he said in a statement. Looking back over data from 133 nations, the international team of researchers estimated that USAID funding had prevented 91 million deaths in developing countries between 2001 and 2021. They also used modeling to project how funding being slashed by 83 percent — the figure announced by the US government earlier this year — could affect death rates. The cuts could lead to more than 14 million avoidable deaths by 2030, the projections found. That number included over 4.5 million children under the age of 5 — or around 700,000 child deaths a year. For comparison, around 10 million soldiers are estimated to have been killed during World War I. Programs supported by USAID were linked to a 15 percent decrease in deaths from all causes, the researchers found. For children under 5, the drop in deaths was twice as steep at 32 percent. USAID funding was found to be particularly effective at staving off preventable deaths from disease. There were 65 percent fewer deaths from HIV and AIDS in countries receiving a high level of support compared to those with little or no USAID funding, the study found. Deaths from malaria and neglected tropical diseases were similarly cut in half. After USAID was gutted, several other major donors including Germany, the UK and France followed suit in announcing plans to slash their foreign aid budgets. These aid reductions, particularly in the European Union, could lead to "even more additional deaths in the coming years," said study co-author Caterina Monti of ISGlobal. But the grim projections for deaths were based on the current amount of pledged aid, so could rapidly come down if the situation changes, the researchers emphasized. Dozens of world leaders are meeting in the Spanish city of Seville this week for the biggest aid conference in a decade. The US, however, will not attend. "Now is the time to scale up, not scale back," Rasella said. Before its funding was slashed, USAID represented 0.3 percent of all US federal spending. "US citizens contribute about 17 cents per day to USAID, around $64 per year," said study co-author James Macinko of the University of California, Los Angeles. "I think most people would support continued USAID funding if they knew just how effective such a small contribution can be to saving millions of lives."
