Childhood Immunizations Lag Globally, Data Suggest

The Washington Post (8/11, Blakemore) reports “progress toward global immunization goals has stalled, according to recent World Health Organization and UNICEF estimates, suggesting such immunizations have not rebounded since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.” New data “shows that the number of children worldwide who have not received a single dose of the DPT (diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) vaccine increased from 13.9 million in 2022 to 14.5 million in 2023,” while measles vaccine numbers amount “to an 83 percent worldwide coverage rate, well short of the 95 percent necessary for population-wide immunity.” Vaccine coverage for children varies globally, with over half “of the children who have not had a single dose of childhood vaccines” living in Nigeria, India, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Indonesia, and Yemen.