Particle.news

Download on the App Store

UN Warns Child Vaccination Progress Has Plateaued as Outbreak Threats Mount

Funding cuts coupled with vaccine misinformation threaten to erase decades of immunization gains

Image
Image

Overview

  • Global DTP coverage reached 85% in 2024, up one percentage point from 2023 but still below pre-pandemic levels and the 90% target for 2030
  • Zero-dose children numbered 14.3 million last year, reflecting persistent immunization gaps in conflict-affected and low-income regions
  • WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that drastic reductions in aid and false vaccine safety claims risk undoing decades of achievements
  • UNICEF’s vaccination lead Ephrem Lemango reported that budget cuts have disrupted epidemic response capacity in nearly 50 countries
  • Measles outbreaks have intensified globally with 60 countries affected in 2024 and the United States experiencing its worst epidemic in over 30 years