Child immunization rates plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic and have yet to recover, with far too many missing out on routine vaccines that would protect them against preventable diseases, according to new data from the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
The two agencies estimate there were 21 million unvaccinated and undervaccinated children in 2023, 2.7 million more than before the COVID-19 pandemic — during which time there was a “historic backsliding” on immunization rates, according to Dr. Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO's Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals. The high number means many of them face heightened health risks for diseases such as measles and diphtheria.
The data, drawn from WHO and UNICEF analysis of national immunization coverage, tracks the number of children who did not receive the combination vaccine for a trio of infectious diseases — diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, which is given in three doses, typically within a child’s first year. The agencies consider DTP vaccine rates as the global marker for how well countries are reaching children with immunization.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
