Global childhood immunisation is faltering due to inequality, COVID-19, and misinformation, a new study in The Lancet warns. Millions of children are now at risk from preventable diseases like measles, threatening decades of public health progress.
Researchers have issued a stark new warning. Global efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases are faltering, putting millions of young lives at risk. A combination of deep-seated economic inequality, disruptions from the COVID-19 era, and the pervasive spread of misinformation is reversing decades of progress. This increases the threat of major outbreaks.
The landmark study, published in The Lancet, analysed childhood immunisation rates across 204 countries and territories. While highlighting past triumphs, it paints a concerning picture. The current landscape shows that previous gains are now under significant threat.
Fifty Years of Progress Under Threat
It is not all bad news. The research confirms the monumental success of global immunisation programmes. Over the last 50 years, they have saved an estimated 154 million lives. Coverage for essential vaccines against diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio, and tuberculosis has doubled between 1980 and 2023.
However, this progress began to stagnate in the 2010s. During this period, measles vaccination coverage decreased in nearly half of all countries. Latin America recorded the most significant drops. Worryingly, more than half of all high-income countries also saw declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose.
The Damaging Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to routine health services worldwide. Lockdowns and pressures on the healthcare system caused significant disruptions to childhood immunisation schedules. The study reveals that between 2020 and 2023, this resulted in nearly 13 million additional children who never received a single vaccine dose.
A World Divided: The Stark Reality of Vaccine Inequality
The disparity in vaccine access has been exacerbated, particularly in the world's poorest nations. In 2023, more than half of the globe's 15.7 million completely unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
This "perfect storm" of challenges is creating a fragile global health environment. There are rising numbers of displaced people and growing disparities due to armed conflict, political volatility, economic uncertainty, and climate crises.
Measles and Polio Make a Dangerous Comeback
These faltering vaccination rates are already causing consequences. In the European Union, the number of measles cases recorded in 2023 was 10 times higher than in 2022. In the United States, a measles outbreak has already surged past 1,000 cases this year. This exceeds the total for all of last year.
Meanwhile, polio, a disease long eradicated in many parts of the world thanks to vaccination, is seeing a resurgence. Cases are rising in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Papua New Guinea is currently battling a significant polio outbreak.
Researchers have warned that these setbacks pose a direct threat to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) ambitious 2030 goals. The WHO aims for 90% of the world's children to receive essential vaccines. They also aim to halve the number of "zero-dose" children by the end of the decade.
According to the study, funded by the Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, only 18 countries have thus far achieved this goal.