UNICEF and WHO warn that misinformation and severe international aid cuts are creating significant vaccination gaps, putting millions of children at risk. In 2024, over 14 million children were completely unvaccinated, with a notable stagnation or decline in vaccination rates across Europe and Central Asia. Cases of preventable diseases have surged, including a tripling of whooping cough cases and a doubling of measles cases in Europe. Nine countries accounted for over 50% of the world's unvaccinated children, raising serious health concerns regarding preventable diseases.
In Europe, cases of whooping cough tripled to nearly 300,000 in 2024, while measles infections doubled to over 125,000, WHO said, amid falling vaccine coverage.
Just nine countries - Nigeria, India, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Angola - accounted for over half of the world's unvaccinated children.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stated, 'Millions of children remain without protection against preventable diseases. That should worry us all.'
According to the UN, vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths a year.
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