Health
Global Immunisation Improves As 13.5 Million Infants Remain Unvaccinated — WHO, UNICEF
Immunisation
By Franca Ofili
Global childhood immunisation coverage recorded modest progress in 2025, with 90 per cent of infants receiving at least one dose of the Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTP) vaccine.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, highlighting continued gains in routine childhood vaccination worldwide.
The agencies said that 85 per cent of infants, representing about 110 million children, completed the recommended three-dose DTP series, a one-percentage-point increase from 2024.
In spite of the improvement, global vaccination coverage remains one percentage point below pre-pandemic 2019 levels, highlighting slow progress after years of recovery from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the latest WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage, about 13.5 million children received no vaccines during their first year of life in 2025, leaving millions vulnerable to preventable diseases.
The agencies said the number of zero-dose children declined by nearly 750,000 from the previous year, but warned that many children still failed to complete recommended vaccination schedules.
The report estimated that 7.3 million infants received their first DTP dose but dropped out before receiving their first measles vaccine, increasing their risk of infection from vaccine-preventable diseases.
It said measles vaccination coverage remained below the 95 per cent threshold required to prevent outbreaks, with 84 per cent of children receiving the first dose and 77 per cent receiving the second dose.
Consequently, 57 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025, underscoring the continued threat posed by gaps in routine immunisation services.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said governments and health workers had helped vaccination rates recover after pandemic-related declines, but millions of children remained unprotected due to persistent barriers.
“Data from 195 countries showed that 100 countries have maintained at least 90 per cent DTP coverage since 2019, while progress has stalled in many others.
“Of the countries below 90 per cent coverage in 2019, only 30 improved their vaccination rates, while 65 countries remained stagnant or recorded declines,” Russell added.
She said regional analysis showed that the Americas and South-East Asia had surpassed their pre-pandemic performance, while Africa, Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were still recovering from pandemic setbacks.
According to Russell, the Western Pacific region recorded further declines in vaccination coverage, making it the region furthest below its 2019 immunisation levels.
She said more than half of the world’s zero-dose children live in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable countries, where insecurity, political instability and weak health systems disrupt immunisation services.
Russell said that Syria recorded significant declines in vaccination coverage, while Sudan achieved one of the world’s largest improvements after expanding access to health services in spite of ongoing conflict.
“In some middle- and high-income countries, vaccination coverage also declined because of vaccine hesitancy, structural challenges and weakening political commitment to immunisation programmes,” she said.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, described immunisation as one of the most cost-effective and equitable public health interventions, urging countries to ensure that every child was protected.
Similarly, Gavi Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sania Nishtar, said lower-income countries had achieved historic immunisation gains through strong partnerships, but warned that funding constraints and geopolitical uncertainty could undermine progress.
The agencies called on governments and development partners to strengthen immunisation services in fragile settings, tackle misinformation, increase funding, and invest in surveillance and data systems to achieve Immunisation Agenda 2030 targets.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
