Global Childhood Vaccination Rates Hold Steady in 2024
Politics

Global Childhood Vaccination Rates Hold Steady in 2024

Global immunization rates for young children have remained stable in 2024, according to a joint announcement released Tuesday by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

Approximately 89 percent of infants worldwide received at least one dose of the Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DTP) vaccine, with 85 percent completing the full three-dose series. Notably, the announcement highlights a slight upward trend, with approximately 171,000 more children receiving at least one DTP vaccination and a million more completing the full DTP series compared to figures from 2023.

Despite these encouraging gains, a significant number of children remain vulnerable. Nearly 20 million young children missed out on at least one dose of the DTP vaccine last year. Within that number, 14.3 million children received none at all. This figure exceeds the 2024 target established as part of the Immunization Agenda 2030 by four million.

“Vaccines save lives and enable individuals, families, communities, economies and nations to thrive” stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “It is encouraging to see the number of vaccinated children continue to increase, although much work remains to be done”.