Declining childhood vaccinations worldwide

The data presented in the recent publication Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, featured in The Lancet, indicate a gradual deceleration in global pediatric immunization rates. This trend originated at the beginning of the 21st century and persisted throughout and following the COVID-19 pandemic. While some evidence of improvement has been noted in the past two years, in 2023, more than 15 million infants did not receive any doses of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis during their first year. This progressive decline has impacted not only developing nations but also, to varying extents, the entire world. Between 2010 and 2019, 21 high-income nations experienced a decrease in the coverage of at least one childhood vaccination. The measles vaccine represents a notable instance, with nearly half of the world’s countries exhibiting a reduction in its coverage. Furthermore, an increasing number of wild-type polio cases have been documented in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and a polio epidemic is currently in progress in Papua New Guinea, where vaccination rates are below 50%. The number of reported cases within the United States has surpassed one thousand. These results are far from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) goal of achieving 90% vaccination coverage for children worldwide. Currently, only 18 countries have achieved this target.