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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Pandemic worsened childhood vaccination rates globally; India, 7 other nations had over half of unvaccinated kids in 2023: study
While there has been unprecedented progress in vaccinating children against life-threatening diseases since the World Health Organization (WHO) established the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in 1974, the last two decades have also been marked by stagnating childhood vaccination rates and a wide variation in vaccine coverage. These challenges have been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases and death, according to a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, published in The Lancet. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges with global coverage rates of the original EPI-recommended vaccines declining sharply beginning in 2020—resulting in an estimated 15.6 million children missing the full three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine or a measles vaccine between 2020 and 2023, as well as 15.9 million children not receiving any polio vaccine, and 9.18 million missing out on the tuberculosis vaccine. The study estimates that disruptions to immunisation services during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in around 12.8 million additional unvaccinated zero-dose children globally during the four pandemic years (2020-2023). Wide discrepancies remain, with markedly lower coverage and higher rates of under and unvaccinated children in low- and middle-income countries. In 2023, more than half of the world's 15.7 million unvaccinated children were living in just eight countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa (53%) and South Asia (13%)—Nigeria (2.48 million), India (1.44 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC, 882,000), Ethiopia (782,000), Somalia (710,000), Sudan (627,000), Indonesia (538,000), and Brazil (452,000). 'The challenge now is how to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in areas of low coverage,' said lead author Dr Emily Haeuser in the report. 'The diversity of challenges and barriers to immunisation vary widely between countries and within communities, with rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, climate crises, and vaccine misinformation and hesitancy, underscoring the need for new, tailored solutions,' she added. The success of the past 50 years is partly the result of a doubling of global coverage for the original vaccines against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (first dose 49% to 89%; and all three doses 40% to 81%), measles (37% to 83%), polio (42% to 80%), and tuberculosis (38% to 83%) between 1980 and 2023. Additionally, there has been a 75% drop in the number of unvaccinated zero-dose children worldwide from 58.8 million in 1980 to 14.7 million in 2019, as well as the introduction and scale-up of critical new lifesaving vaccines against pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and a second dose of the measles vaccine. The analysis indicates that accelerated progress will be necessary to achieve the 2030 target of halving the number of zero-dose children compared to 2019 levels, with only 18 of 204 countries and territories estimated to have already met this target as of 2023. Two-thirds (65%) of the zero-dose children that need to be reached by vaccination between 2023 and 2030 live in sub-Saharan Africa (4.28 million) and South Asia (1.33 million). To increase vaccine acceptance and uptake, the authors call for more concerted efforts to tackle vaccine misinformation and hesitancy. As Dr. Haeuser explained, 'Successful vaccination programmes are built on understanding and responding to people's beliefs, concerns, and expectations. Vaccination services must prioritise trust-building, engage community leaders, and tailor interventions with more culturally appropriate local strategies to improve vaccine confidence and uptake.' Anuradha Mascarenhas is a journalist with The Indian Express and is based in Pune. A senior editor, Anuradha writes on health, research developments in the field of science and environment and takes keen interest in covering women's issues. With a career spanning over 25 years, Anuradha has also led teams and often coordinated the edition. ... Read More
Euronews
25-06-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Why children aren't getting vaccinated anymore
Millions of children are skipping routine vaccinations, and the downward trend could continue in the coming years, according to a new global study. Over the past half-century, routine immunisations against diseases like measles, polio, and tuberculosis (TB) have saved an estimated 154 million lives, mostly among children under the age of five, according to the report published in The Lancet medical journal. But both wealthy and developing countries are now backsliding on vaccinations due to healthcare disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of vaccine misinformation, the study found. Experts believe recent cuts to global aid will make the situation worse. The share of children who got the measles vaccine, for example, dropped in 100 countries between 2010 and 2019, according to the analysis of 11 immunisations across 204 countries and territories. The consequences can be fatal. Measles outbreaks in Europe and the United States have killed 17 people and sickened thousands of others over the past year. 'More children will be hospitalised, permanently damaged and die from fully preventable diseases if the trend is not reversed,' Andrew Pollard, who leads the Oxford Vaccine Group and was not involved with the new study, said in a statement. Millions of children went without routine jabs due to COVID-era disruptions between 2020 and 2023, the analysis found. An estimated 15.6 million children missed a measles jab or the full three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, while 15.9 million did not get the polio vaccine and 9.18 million missed the TB jab. By 2023, there were 15.7 million so-called 'zero-dose children' who likely had not gotten any vaccines, which is down from 58.8 million in 1980 but an increase from pre-pandemic levels, the study found. Today, most of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, though the European Union and the United Kingdom are home to more than 165,000 zero-dose children. Vaccine coverage still falling While vaccination rates tend to be higher in Europe, they are not immune to these trends. Since 2010, vaccine coverage has fallen for at least one jab in 21 wealthy countries, including Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. 'The challenge now is how to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in areas of low coverage,' Emily Haeuser, the study's lead author and a researcher at the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), said in a statement. The findings also indicate that key global health targets will likely not be met. Health officials wanted to halve the number of zero-dose children between 2019 and 2030, but only 18 countries had met this threshold by 2023. Health experts say recent cuts to global health funding could further undermine that goal. 'Around the world, the increasing number of countries torn apart by civil unrest and wars, combined with the drastic cuts in foreign aid from rich nations, such as USA and UK, makes it difficult to get vaccines to many populations,' David Elliman, an honorary associate professor at University College London who was not involved with the study, said in a statement. Even so, researchers called for renewed investment in immunisation campaigns, as well as targeted efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation and initiatives to rebuild public trust in health authorities. 'It is in everyone's interest that this situation is rectified,' Elliman said. 'Not only is it a moral imperative to improve the health of all children [but also] no one is safe until everyone is safe'.
eNCA
25-06-2025
- Health
- eNCA
Child vaccine coverage faltering, threatening millions: study
NEW YORK - Efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases are faltering across the world due to economic inequality, Covid-era disruptions and misinformation, putting millions of lives at risk, research warned on Wednesday. These trends all increase the threat of future outbreaks of preventable diseases, the researchers said, while sweeping foreign aid cuts threaten previous progress in vaccinating the world's children. A new study published in The Lancet journal looked at childhood vaccination rates across 204 countries and territories. It was not all bad news. An immunisation programme by the World Health Organization was estimated to have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the last 50 years. And vaccination coverage against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled between 1980 and 2023, the international team of researchers found. However, the gains slowed in the 2010s, when measles vaccinations decreased in around half of the countries, with the largest drop in Latin America. Meanwhile, in more than half of all high-income countries there were declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose. Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Routine vaccination services were hugely disrupted during lockdowns and other measures, resulting in nearly 13 million extra children who never received any vaccine dose between 2020 to 2023, the study said. This disparity endured, particularly in poorer countries. In 2023, more than half of the world's 15.7 million completely unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study. In the European Union, 10 times more measles cases were recorded last year compared to 2023. In the United States, a measles outbreak surged past 1,000 cases across 30 states last month, which is already more than were recorded in all of 2024. Cases of polio, long eradicated in many areas thanks to vaccination, have been rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Papua New Guinea is currently enduring a polio outbreak. - 'Tragedy' - "Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available," said senior study author Jonathan Mosser of the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). "But persistent global inequalities, challenges from the Covid pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress," he said in a statement. In addition, there are "rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, climate crises," added lead study author Emily Haeuser, also from the IHME. The researchers warned the setbacks could threaten the WHO's goal of having 90 percent of the world's children and adolescents receive essential vaccines by 2030. The WHO also aims to halve the number of children who have received no vaccine doses by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Just 18 countries have achieved this so far, according to the study, which was funded by the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance. The global health community has also been reeling since President Donald Trump's administration drastically slashed US international aid earlier this year. "For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid," Bill Gates said in a separate statement on Tuesday. "That is a tragedy," the Microsoft co-founder said, committing $1.6 billion to Gavi, which is holding a fund-raising summit in Brussels on Wednesday. dl/yad
France 24
25-06-2025
- Health
- France 24
Study finds child vaccination rates are dropping globally, threatening millions
Efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases are faltering across the world due to economic inequality, Covid -era disruptions and misinformation, putting millions of lives at risk, research warned Wednesday. These trends all increase the threat of future outbreaks of preventable diseases, the researchers said, while sweeping foreign aid cuts threaten previous progress in vaccinating the world's children. A new study published in The Lancet journal looked at childhood vaccination rates across 204 countries and territories. It was not all bad news. An immunisation programme by the World Health Organization was estimated to have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the last 50 years. And vaccination coverage against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio and tuberculosis doubled between 1980 and 2023, the international team of researchers found. However the gains slowed in the 2010s, when measles vaccinations decreased in around half of the countries, with the largest drop in Latin America. Meanwhile in more than half of all high-income countries there were declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose. Then the Covid-19 pandemic struck. Routine vaccination services were hugely disrupted during lockdowns and other measures, resulting in nearly 13 million extra children who never received any vaccine dose between 2020 to 2023, the study said. This disparity endured, particularly in poorer countries. In 2023, more than half of the world's 15.7 million completely unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study. In the European Union, 10 times more measles cases were recorded last year compared to 2023. In the United States, a measles outbreak surged past 1,000 cases across 30 states last month, which is already more than were recorded in all of 2024. Cases of polio, long eradicated in many areas thanks to vaccination, have been rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while Papua New Guinea is currently enduring a polio outbreak. 'Tragedy' "Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful and cost-effective public health interventions available," said senior study author Jonathan Mosser of the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). "But persistent global inequalities, challenges from the Covid pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress," he said in a statement. In addition, there are "rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, climate crises," added lead study author Emily Haeuser, also from the IHME. The researchers warned the setbacks could threaten the WHO's goal of having 90 percent of the world's children and adolescents receive essential vaccines by 2030. The WHO also aims to halve the number of children who have received no vaccine doses by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. Just 18 countries have achieved this so far, according to the study, which was funded by the Gates Foundation and the Gavi vaccine alliance. The global health community has also been reeling since President Donald Trump's administration drastically slashed US international aid earlier this year. "For the first time in decades, the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year instead of down because of massive cuts to foreign aid," Bill Gates said in a separate statement on Tuesday. "That is a tragedy," the Microsoft co-founder said, committing $1.6 billion to Gavi, which is holding a fund-raising summit in Brussels on Wednesday.
The Print
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Print
Lancet report highlights gaps in immunisation—no routine vaccine for 14.4 lakh Indian kids in 2023
The report—published in The Lancet Wednesday—said that in 2023, more than half of the 1.57 crore unvaccinated children worldwide were living in just eight countries, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa (53 percent) and South Asia (13 percent). New Delhi: Nearly 14.4 lakh children in India did not receive a single shot of any routine vaccine in 2023, with the country recording the second-highest 'zero dose' kids, according to a new and significant analysis by the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators. The lack of immunisation against deadly diseases puts children at risk of life-threatening diseases, says the World Health Organisation (WHO). 'The challenge now is how to improve vaccine delivery and uptake in areas of low coverage,' said lead author Dr Emily Haeuser. She added that the world would miss the immunisation goals for 2030 without targeted, equitable immunisation strategies, alongside the strengthening of primary healthcare and efforts to tackle vaccine misinformation and hesitancy. The World Health Organisation recommends a range of eleven three-vaccine combinations for all children globally, targeting polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Streptococcus pneumoniae, rotavirus, varicella, etc. Vaccine coverage between 1980 and 2023 has globally doubled against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), measles, polio, and tuberculosis, according to the report funded by the global vaccine alliance GAVI and The Gates Foundation. Additionally, the number of children who never received a routine childhood vaccine—known as zero-dose children—declined globally by 75 percent between 1980 and 2019. Their number dropped from 5.68 crore to 1.47 crore just before the COVID-19 pandemic. But since 2010, progress has stalled or reversed in many countries, with measles vaccination declining in 100 of 204 countries between 2010 and 2019. In 2023, an estimated 1.57 crore million zero-dose children had not received any doses of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines in their first year of life, the report pointed out. In India, under the Centre-run Universal Immunisation Programme, vaccines against 12 diseases are offered free of cost to all children, and in some cases, pregnant women at a specified age, via government hospitals. In a rebuttal to a United Nations Children's Fund, which had shown a high number of zero-dose children in India last year, the Union health ministry had said the 'reports depict an incomplete picture of the country's immunisation data as they do not factor in the population base and immunisation coverage of the countries compared'. ThePrint has reached out to Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava over email for a response to the report. This copy will be updated if and when a reply is received. Independent experts ThePrint spoke with pointed at the disruption in routine immunisation services during the pandemic across health systems that prioritised COVID-19 care mainly. Traditionally, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy among some population groups have constantly remained barriers. 'The number of zero-dose children has been low in some tribal and other religious minority communities due to a reluctance to accept routine vaccines over the fear of serious side effects,' infectious disease specialist Dr Ishwar Gilada said. India now needs to prioritise providing vaccination coverage to such groups, Gilada said, adding that it was paramount that people saw these figures in context, such as considering the population of India. Also Read: Don't scratch mosquito bites. Here is how to deal with itching, redness Countries with a huge vaccination gap India has consistently featured among the countries with the highest numbers of zero-dose children. According to the report, 53·5 percent of zero-dose children lived in five countries—India, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh—in 1980. By 2019, most of them—52.8 percent of zero-dose children—still lived in only seven countries, which are Nigeria, India, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, Somalia, and Pakistan. The COVID-19 pandemic, which, in many areas, resulted in declining trust in public health institutions and polarised opinions on the necessity, as well as safety, of COVID-19 vaccines, has had varying effects on public perceptions regarding the importance of routine childhood vaccination and willingness to vaccinate, according to the report. Substantial increases in coverage are necessary in many countries and territories, and those in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia face the toughest challenges, the report noted. (Edited by Madhurita Goswami) Also Read: Eli Lilly announces trial results for world's 2nd weekly insulin, aims for launch by year-end
