Global conflicts impede vaccination of 15 million children, says UN
Global conflicts are hampering efforts to vaccinate children against diseases, with new data showing that nearly 14.5 million children have not received any vaccination. Over half of these unvaccinated children live in countries experiencing armed conflicts or humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The war in Sudan and Yemen has notably escalated the number of unvaccinated children, the organizations said.
Rising numbers of unvaccinated children threaten global health goals
In 2023, the number of "zero-dose" children rose to 14.5 million, with an additional 6.5 million "under-vaccinated" children not receiving all recommended doses. This increase jeopardizes the international goal to halve the number of zero-dose children by 2030. O'Brien, director of the WHO's immunization and vaccines department, warns that this situation puts vulnerable children at risk and increases their likelihood of dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
War-torn countries see significant drop in vaccination rates
Sudan, Yemen, and Afghanistan have seen a significant increase in unvaccinated children due to ongoing conflicts. Hageman, the UNICEF's Sudan representative, reported that Sudan's health system has collapsed during the war, causing vaccination coverage to plummet from 85% pre-war to around 50% currently. In active conflict areas, rates average at 30%, dropping as low as 8% in South Darfur. Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, rubella and polio are now common.
Yemen's vaccination rates 'alarming low' amid crisis
In Yemen, vaccination rates are "alarmingly low," according to Hawkins, the UNICEF's representative in the country. This decline is attributed to a combination of factors including lack of access to healthcare, vaccine hesitancy and a worsening socioeconomic and political crisis. O'Brien warns that misinformation circulating during the pandemic is causing deaths and hindering efforts to increase vaccination coverage. Despite an increase in HPV vaccine coverage, it still needs introduction in 51 countries, including China and India.
Global vaccine coverage struggles to reach pre-pandemic levels
Global vaccine coverage has yet to rebound to pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, when there were 12.8 million zero-dose and an additional 5.5 million under-vaccinated children. Over half of the world's unvaccinated children live in 10 countries including Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia.
