The year 2024 saw a worrying rise in the number of infants missing routine vaccinations worldwide. Over 14 million children did not receive any vaccine doses, an increase from 12.9 million in 2019. This figure is 4 million above the annual target needed to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 goals. The issue is concentrated in nine countries, yet it remains a global health concern.
Current Vaccination Coverage and Trends
In 2024, 89 per cent of infants received at least one dose of the DTP vaccine, protecting against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. However, only 85 per cent completed the full three-dose series. Approximately 20 million infants missed at least one DTP dose. Measles vaccine coverage for the first dose was at 84 per cent globally. HPV vaccine coverage in girls increased modestly from 27 per cent in 2023 to 31 per cent in 2024. Yellow fever vaccine coverage in at-risk countries remained low at 50 per cent, far below the recommended 80 per cent.
Geographical Concentration of Zero-Dose Infants
More than half of the unvaccinated infants are in Nigeria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola. India alone accounted for 909,000 zero-dose infants, about 6 per cent of the global total, despite a high overall vaccine coverage of 96 per cent among its 22.7 million infants. This shows that high coverage rates can coexist with absolute numbers of unvaccinated children.
Impact of Conflict and Instability
Around 10.2 million zero-dose or under-vaccinated infants live in countries affected by conflict or social instability. These children face the highest risk of disease outbreaks. Fragile health systems and disrupted services in these regions complicate vaccine delivery and coverage efforts.
Challenges – Funding, Misinformation and Delivery
Cuts in health aid budgets have raised alarm among global health officials. Misinformation about vaccine safety further undermines immunisation efforts. These factors risk reversing decades of progress in reducing vaccine-preventable diseases. Effective vaccine delivery in conflict zones remains a major hurdle.
Importance of Vaccination and Strategic Recommendations
Vaccines prevent up to five million deaths annually by protecting individuals and communities. Unvaccinated children are vulnerable to life-threatening diseases that can spread quickly when herd immunity weakens. To address gaps, WHO and UNICEF recommend – 1. Targeted funding for countries with large zero-dose populations 2. Improved delivery systems in fragile and conflict-affected areas 3. Strong public messaging to counter vaccine hesitancy and misinformation 4. Investment in data and surveillance systems for effective immunisation programmes
Questions for UPSC:
- Critically discuss the impact of conflict and social instability on public health systems and vaccination coverage with examples from recent global health crises.
- Examine the role of misinformation in vaccine hesitancy and its implications for public health policy in developing countries.
- With suitable examples, discuss the challenges and strategies in achieving universal childhood immunisation in countries with diverse socio-economic conditions.
- Analyse the importance of international funding and cooperation in global immunisation programmes and how budget cuts can affect disease control efforts.
