The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in approximately 30 years has been recorded in official data published today by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.
The percentage of children who received three doses of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) – a marker for immunisation coverage within and across countries – fell 5% between 2019 and 2021 to 81%.
This historic backsliding in rates of immunisation is happening against a backdrop of rapidly rising rates of severe acute malnutrition, the WHO said.
A malnourished child already has weakened immunity and missed vaccinations can mean common childhood illnesses quickly become lethal to them.
The convergence of a hunger crisis with a growing immunisation gap threatens to create the conditions for a child survival crisis.
25 million children missed out on one or more doses of DTP through routine immunisation services in 2021 alone, according to the joint data.