21 million children will not be vaccinated in 2023

The World Health Organization warns that these children are at risk of dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, childhood vaccination rates have declined, and more than a year after the official end of this period of restrictions, with 765 million cases and seven million deaths reported, the world is still recovering from the delay in immunizing young people.

According to a report by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund released earlier this week, around 21 million children worldwide will not receive their scheduled vaccines in 2023. That’s 2.7 million more than before the pandemic. The figures show that immunization campaigns on the ground have yet to recover from the setback they experienced during the pandemic, delaying their goals until the end of the decade.

“From the 2023 data provided by countries and regions, “From the 2023 data provided by countries and regions, what we know is that global immunization coverage has not yet fully recovered from the historic decline we saw during the pandemic, and in fact, in 2023, the increase in coverage has stagnated, compared to 2022 (…) What we know is that global immunization coverage has not yet fully recovered from the historic decline we saw during the pandemic, and in fact, in 2023, the increase in coverage has stagnated, compared to 2022,” explained Catherine O’Brien, Director of the Department of Immunization at WHO.

Without vaccines, the official explains, many of these children are at risk of dying from a disease that could be prevented by vaccination, especially since many of them live in environments that lack safety, health care or nutrition. Experts warn that children are under-immunized against diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever.

However, there is a positive note for global HPV vaccine coverage. In 2023, 27% of girls received the first dose of HPV protection, a 7% increase in coverage compared to the previous year, as campaigns reached densely populated countries such as Indonesia, Nigeria and Bangladesh.