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.

This is 2 million more than those who missed out in 2020 and 6 million more than in 2019, highlighting the growing number of children at risk from devastating but preventable diseases. 

The WHO has stated that this decline could be due to an increase in children living in conflict zones where immunisation access is challenging, the Covid-19 pandemic and misinformation.

UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell, said that the decline in vaccinations will be highly detrimental for children:

“This is a red alert for child health. We are witnessing the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation. The consequences will be measured in lives.”

“We need immunisation catch-ups for the missing millions or we will inevitably witness more outbreaks, more sick children and greater pressure on already strained health systems.”

18 million of the 25 million children lacking DTP doses did not receive a single dose during the year, the vast majority of whom live in low- and middle-income countries, with India, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the Philippines recording the highest numbers.

Globally, over a quarter of the coverage of HPV vaccines that was achieved in 2019 has been lost.

The WHO believes this will have grave consequences for the health of women and girls, as global coverage of the first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is only 15%, despite the first vaccines being licensed over 15 years ago.

The WHO and the United Nation’s children’s agency, UNICEF, have partnered with other organisations to develop a global ‘Immunisation Agenda 2030′ strategy which aims to promote vaccines across the world.