Africa CDC's new Continental Immunisation Strategy 2026-2030 aims to revive vaccine coverage as outbreaks rise and funding tightens. According to immunisation experts who helped develop it, coverage is failing to keep pace with population growth. In 2025, about 7.1 million African children (15.6% of those under a year old) missed even a single routine dose.
Immunisation Gains in Africa are Stalling
Vaccination has reshaped child survival on the continent. A landmark analysis found that global immunisation saved at least 154 million lives over 50 years, including 52 million in Africa. Vaccines have also virtually eliminated meningitis A epidemics and eradicated wild poliovirus from Africa.