Latest UN data indicates that at least 14 million kids didn’t receive life-saving shots of vaccines against tetanus, whooping cough and diphtheria in 2024. This threatens the attainment of global vaccination goals.
The data shows that over two-thirds of children categorized as “zero-dose” kids (those who didn’t receive a single dose of the needed vaccinations) were in low-income and middle-income countries around the world.
In 2024, approximately 115 million kids got at least a dose of the DTP vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus. This accounted for 89% of all infants around the world. 85% of the kids who got the DTP vaccine went on to receive all the three required doses of this vaccine. This marked a slight uptick from the figures for the previous year.
However, UNICEF and WHO revealed that about 20 million kids missed one or more doses of the DTP vaccine, and from this category of children, approximately 14.3 million fell in the group of zero-dose kids as they didn’t get any vaccination as prescribed for children.
Kate O’Brien, who heads the immunization, biologicals and vaccines department at the World Health Organization, said that the data on kids who either didn’t get all needed vaccinations or missed some doses was worrying since it pointed to an undesirable trajectory. She added that the world had fallen behind on its goal to cut by half the number of kids that don’t receive any dose of the needed vaccinations (zero-dose kids).
On a positive note, the rates of vaccination have been improving steadily over the years after declining during the Covid-19 pandemic. This uptick was made possible through the support of the Vaccine Alliance and Gavi.
However, conflict, fragility and population growth are putting these gains at risk in low-income countries. Progress is also coming under additional stress as a result of United States cuts to international aid, including to global vaccination programs.
The UN data uncovers geographical disparities in the distribution of zero-dose kids. For example, approximately 50% of zero-dose kids in low-income countries were in just 5 countries; DR Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Pakistan and India. 2.9 million zero-dose kids (approximately 30% of zero-dose kids worldwide) live in conflict-affected and fragile settings. The data reveals that significant declines in vaccination coverage occurred in Sudan and Yemen,
While there are challenges in getting vaccines to every child, efforts are ongoing to improve coverage. Simultaneously, many entities, such as Soligenix Inc. (NASDAQ: SNGX), are working to develop and commercialize new vaccines against a number of infectious diseases putting global health at risk. The success of those R&D programs could help in curbing the increasing threats posed by emerging and reemerging infectious diseases.
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