By Matik Kueth
A new study published in The Lancet warned that millions of children across the globe are now at greater risk of contracting preventable diseases like measles, polio, and tuberculosis due to a decline in vaccination coverage. Researchers from the University of Washington report that global immunization progress has stalled, and in some cases reversed, since 2010, driven by persistent health disparities, misinformation, and growing vaccine hesitancy.
The study reveals a significant drop in measles protection across 100 countries, including wealthy nations that had once eliminated the disease.
Over the past 50 years, vaccination programs have saved an estimated 154 million young lives, but by 2023, approximately 16 million children, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, had received no childhood vaccines at all.
Alarmingly, more than half of these unvaccinated children lived in just eight countries: Nigeria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Indonesia, and Brazil.
The report also touches on the broader implications of political decisions, noting that the withdrawal of U.S. funding for the World Health Organization and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump have raised concerns among public health experts about the potential for future outbreaks.
While the long-term effects of recent funding cuts are still uncertain, the researchers stress the urgent need for global cooperation to improve access to routine childhood vaccines, calling them one of the most affordable and effective tools in public health.
The study was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance.