Global childhood vaccination hits plateau, with 35 million not fully protected from measles

Global childhood immunization progress leveled off in 2023, with 2.7 million more children with no or insufficient protection against serious diseases than in 2019, highlighting the need for an immunization push and to strengthen the system going forward, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF announced today. The new data on vaccination against 14 serious diseases in 185 countries show that 14.5 million children have received no doses of a key childhood vaccine, that almost 35 million aren’t protected against measles, and that the global coverage hasn’t returned to prepandemic levels. “The latest trends demonstrate that many countries continue to miss far too many children, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, JD, said in a joint news release. “Closing the immunization gap requires a global effort, with governments, partners, and local leaders investing in primary healthcare and community workers to ensure every child gets vaccinated, and that overall healthcare is strengthened.” Over half of...