Worldwide, 12.9 million infants, nearly one in 10, did not receive any vaccinations in 2016, the most recent immunisation estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have found.
This means, critically, that these infants missed the first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, putting them at serious risk of these potentially fatal diseases, according to the joint WHO and UNICEF report.
Additionally, an estimated 6.6 million infants, who did receive their first dose of DTP-containing vaccine, did not complete the full, three dose DTP immunisation series (DTP3) in 2016.
Since 2010, the percentage of children who received their full course of routine immunisations has stalled at 86 per cent (116.5 million infants), with no significant changes in any countries or regions during the past year.
This falls short of the global immunisation coverage target of 90 per cent, according to the UN agencies.
“Most of the children that remain un-immunized are the same ones missed by health systems.
“These children most likely have also not received any of the other basic health services. If we are to raise the bar on global immunisation coverage, health services must reach the unreached.
“Every contact with the health system must be seen as an opportunity to immunise,” Dr Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, Director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO, said.
Immunisation currently prevents between 2–3 million deaths every year, from diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough and measles; it is one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions, it said.
According to the new data, 130 of the 194 WHO member states have achieved and sustained at least 90 per cent coverage for DTP3 at the national level – one of the targets set out in the Global Vaccine Action Plan.
However, an estimated 10 million additional infants, it said, need to be vaccinated in 64 countries, if all countries are to achieve at least 90 per cent coverage.
Of these children, 7.3 million live in fragile or humanitarian settings, including countries affected by conflict.
Four million of them also live in just three countries – Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan – where access to routine immunisation services is critical to achieving and sustaining polio eradication.
In 2016, eight countries had less than 50 per cent coverage with DTP3 in 2016, including Nigeria, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Ukraine.
Globally, 85 per cent of children have been vaccinated with the first dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services, and 64 per cent with a second dose.
Nevertheless, coverage levels remain well short of those required to prevent outbreaks, avert preventable deaths and achieve regional measles elimination goals.
According to the report, 152 countries now use rubella vaccines and global coverage increased from 35 per cent in 2010 to 47 per cent in 2016.
This is a big step towards reducing the occurrence of congenital rubella syndrome, a devastating condition that results in hearing impairment, congenital heart defects and blindness, among other life-long disabilities.
Global coverage of more recently-recommended vaccines are yet to reach 50 per cent, the report found.
These vaccines include vaccines against major killers of children such as rotavirus, a disease that causes severe childhood diarrhoea, and pneumonia.
Vaccination against both these diseases has the potential to substantially reduce deaths of children under five years of age, a target of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Many middle-income countries are lagging behind in the introduction of the newer and more expensive vaccines.
The countries often do not receive external support and their health budgets are often insufficient to cover the costs of procuring these vaccines.
