{"id":4785,"date":"2025-07-01T04:07:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T04:07:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=4785"},"modified":"2025-07-01T04:07:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T04:07:32","slug":"global-childhood-vaccination-progress-stalls-leaving-millions-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/?p=4785","title":{"rendered":"Global Childhood Vaccination Progress Stalls, Leaving Millions at Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Childhood vaccination coverage, which saw significant global improvements over the past four decades, has stalled in recent years, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases. A new study published in&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/S0140-6736(25)01037-2\"><em>The Lancet<\/em><\/a> reveals that while vaccine access doubled between 1980 and 2023, progress has slowed or reversed since 2010, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings underscore urgent needs for equitable strategies to meet 2030 immunization goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study, conducted by the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, highlights both achievements and challenges in global vaccination efforts. By 2023, coverage for diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, and tuberculosis reached 80-89%, up from 37-49% in 1980. The number of unvaccinated &#8220;zero-dose&#8221; children also dropped by 75%, from 58.8 million in 1980 to 14.7 million in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, progress has faltered since 2010, with measles vaccination declining in 100 countries and high-income nations like Argentina, Finland, and Austria reporting drops in coverage. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened these trends, disrupting immunization services and leaving an estimated 15.7 million zero-dose children in 2023, over half concentrated in eight countries, including Nigeria, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Jonathan Mosser, senior author of the study, emphasized,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;Routine childhood vaccinations are among the most powerful public health interventions, but persistent inequalities and vaccine hesitancy threaten progress.&#8221;<\/em>&nbsp;Lead author Dr. Emily Haeuser added,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;Tailored solutions are critical to address barriers like conflict, misinformation, and healthcare system strains.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The study warns that global immunization targets for 2030 will likely be missed without transformative action. Strengthening primary healthcare, combating misinformation, and prioritizing equity are vital to protecting children worldwide. As Professor Hai Fang noted in a linked comment,&nbsp;<em>&#8220;Sustained investment is essential to close gaps and ensure lifesaving vaccines reach every child.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Childhood vaccination coverage, which saw significant global improvements over the past four decades, has stalled in recent years, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases. A new study published in&nbsp;The Lancet reveals that while vaccine access doubled between 1980 and 2023, progress has slowed or reversed since 2010, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1123],"tags":[726,1566,1091],"class_list":["post-4785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-public-health","tag-health","tag-health-medicine","tag-public-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4785"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4786,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4785\/revisions\/4786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scientificworld.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}