United Nations, Jul 15 (PTI) — India accounted for 6.4% of the global population of children who didn't receive any vaccine dose in 2024, according to a United Nations report. The new immunisation coverage data, released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF on Monday, revealed that India constituted 49.2% of zero-dose children in South Asia, as reported by the Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA).
The term "zero-dose children" refers to those who have not received any routine immunisations, including the first dose of the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine, a critical indicator of access to immunisation services and healthcare infrastructure.
The report highlighted that India represented 6.4% of zero-dose children worldwide. Each year, WHO and UNICEF release global and national routine immunisation coverage estimates (WUENIC).
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, analyzed the 2024 WUENIC data concerning immunisation in 57 low- and lower-middle-income countries it supports. Gavi's findings indicated that nearly half (4.9 million) of the 10.2 million zero-dose children in lower-income countries reside in five populous nations: Nigeria, DR Congo, India, Pakistan, and Ethiopia.
According to Gavi, tracking the first dose of the DTP vaccine (DTP1) is crucial for understanding how many zero-dose children lack access to life-saving vaccines. DTP1 coverage was 87% in 2024, recovering near its pre-pandemic level after a previous decline during COVID-19.
"This means there are half a million fewer zero-dose children in lower-income countries in 2024, primarily due to targeted efforts in populous countries like India, DR Congo, and Ethiopia," Gavi noted.
In 2024, 89% of infants globally — about 115 million — received at least one dose of the DTP vaccine, and 85% — approximately 109 million — completed all three doses. This marked an increase of roughly 171,000 more children receiving at least one vaccine, with an additional one million completing the full three-dose DTP series compared to 2023.
While the gains are modest, they signify ongoing progress by countries amidst growing challenges, the report stated. Despite these advancements, nearly 20 million infants missed at least one DTP-containing vaccine dose last year, including 14.3 million zero-dose children globally.
This figure is four million above the 2024 target, necessary to remain aligned with the Immunisation Agenda 2030 goals, and 1.4 million more than in 2019, the benchmark year for progress measurement, as noted in the report.
"Vaccines save lives, allowing individuals, families, communities, economies, and nations to flourish," stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "It's encouraging to see a continued increase in the number of children being vaccinated, although we still have much work to do. Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress," he continued.
The report identified several reasons children remain un- or under-vaccinated, such as limited access to immunisation services, disrupted supply, conflict, instability, or vaccine misinformation.
Data from 195 countries showed that 131 had consistently reached at least 90% DTP vaccine coverage since 2019, though expanding this group remains stagnant.
Among the countries below 90% coverage in 2019, only 17 improved their rates over the past five years, while progress stalled or worsened in 47 countries. This group includes 22 countries that surpassed the 90% target in 2019 but have since declined.
Conflict and humanitarian crises can swiftly erode vaccination progress. A quarter of the world's infants live in just 26 countries afflicted by fragility, conflict, or crisis, yet they account for half of all unvaccinated children globally.
Alarmingly, the number of unvaccinated children in these regions expanded from 3.6 million in 2019 to 5.4 million in 2024, highlighting the need for humanitarian responses to include immunisation, the report indicated. Immunisation coverage in the 57 low-income countries supported by Gavi improved last year, reducing the number of un- and under-vaccinated children by approximately 650,000.
Conversely, upper-middle- and high-income countries that previously maintained 90% coverage are showing signs of slippage. Even minor declines in immunisation can significantly increase disease outbreak risks and pressure already strained health systems.
"The good news is that we have managed to reach more children with life-saving vaccines. But millions of children remain without protection against preventable diseases, and that should worry us all," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "We must act with determination to overcome barriers like shrinking health budgets, fragile health systems, misinformation, and access constraints due to conflicts. No child should die from a disease we know how to prevent," she added.
(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
