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The Hindu
03-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Are vaccine-preventable diseases rising?
The story so far: Diseases that can be prevented through vaccination, such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever, are re-emerging, world health leaders have warned, because millions of children are missing vaccinations due to funding cuts and disruption in immunisation programmes. The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and Gavi have issued a joint warning stating that immunisation efforts are also being threatened by widespread misinformation, population growth and humanitarian crises. They urged leaders around the world to strengthen vaccination programmes and give the issue their 'urgent and sustained political attention.'' What set alarm bells ringing? A recent WHO rapid stock take with 108 of its country offices mostly in low- and lower-middle-income countries showed that nearly half of those countries are facing moderate to severe disruptions in vaccination campaigns, routine immunisation, and access to supplies due to reduced donor funding. Disease surveillance, including for vaccine-preventable diseases, has also been impacted in more than half the countries surveyed. At the same time, the number of children missing routine vaccinations has been increasing, even as countries try to catch up with vaccinations for children to make up for the lost pandemic years. In 2023, an estimated 14.5 million children missed all their routine vaccine doses — up from 13.9 million in 2022 and 12.9 million in 2019. Over half of these children live in countries facing conflict, fragility, or instability, where access to basic health services is often disrupted. Even in the U.S., there is a measles outbreak. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed that as of May 1, the measles case count is 935, more than triple the number seen in 2024. It had been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said funding cuts to global health have put hard-won gains in jeopardy. 'Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases are increasing around the world, putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases and responding to outbreaks. Countries with limited resources must invest in the highest-impact interventions — and that includes vaccines,' he said. 'The global funding crisis is severely limiting our ability to vaccinate over 15 million vulnerable children in fragile and conflict-affected countries against measles,' said UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell in the joint statement. Continued investment in the 'Big Catch-Up initiative', launched in 2023 to reach children who missed vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other routine immunisation programmes will be critical, she noted. Why is vaccination important? WHO states that immunisation is a 'best buy' in health with a return on investment of $54 for every dollar invested and provides a foundation for future prosperity and health security. Over the last 50 years, essential vaccines have saved at least 154 million lives. That's six lives a minute, every day, for five decades, noted WHO. During this time, vaccination also accounts for 40% of the improvement in infant survival, and more children now live to see their first birthday and beyond than at any other time in human history. The measles vaccine alone accounts for 60% of those lives saved. While the world has eradicated smallpox and almost eradicated polio through vaccination, annually vaccines save nearly 4.2 million lives against 14 diseases. India has also reaped the benefits of immunisation and improved health care, with senior health ministry officials stating that immunisation is one of the most effective and cost-efficient interventions for controlling and eradicating diseases. According to a health ministry official, the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is one of India's most comprehensive public health initiatives, aiming to provide life-saving vaccines to millions of newborns and pregnant women each year. Vaccines help protect individuals from diseases like measles, polio, tuberculosis, and more recently COVID-19. By reducing the incidence of infectious diseases, immunisation also builds herd immunity. According to UNICEF, in India every year, nearly 26 million newborns and 34 million pregnant women are targeted for immunisation, and over 13 million immunisation sessions are held nationwide to vaccinate children and pregnant women. 'Over the last two decades, India has significantly improved health outcomes, particularly child health and immunisation. The country was certified polio-free in 2014 and eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2015. New vaccines, including the Measles-Rubella, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) and Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV), have been introduced and expanded nationwide,'' it notes. According to the National Family Health Survey-5, 2019-21, the country's full immunisation coverage stands at 76.1%, which means that one child out of every four is missing out on essential vaccines. What is the way forward? The WHO, UNICEF and Gavi urgently call for parents, the public, and politicians to strengthen support for immunisation. The agencies emphasise the need for sustained investment in vaccines and immunisation programmes and urge countries to honour their commitments to the Immunisation Agenda 2030. Gavi's pledging summit on June 25, 2025 seeks to raise at least $9 billion from donors to fund an ambitious strategy to protect 500 million children, saving at least eight million lives from 2026 to 2030.
Zawya
25-04-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Vaccination progress helps save millions of lives in African region
An increase in vaccine coverage in Africa is helping protect millions of people from life-threatening diseases such as measles, polio and cervical cancer. In 2023, vaccination saved at least 1.8 million lives in the African region, nearly half the global figure of 4.2 million. These advancements have been possible thanks to government efforts and the support from partners including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), UNICEF, World Health Organization (WHO) and others. More than 5 million 'zero-dose' children – children who have not received a single dose of an essential routine vaccine – in the African region have been vaccinated since 2024 through the 'Big Catch-Up' initiative launched in 2023 in 24 priority countries to protect communities from vaccine-preventable outbreaks, save children's lives and strengthen national health systems. Despite a growing birth cohort between 2022 and 2023, the region recorded a two-percentage-point increase in the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) immunization coverage among 1-year-olds, from 72% to 74%, an important sign of recovery in routine immunization services post-COVID-19. This progress means that amid a rising number of births, governments are vaccinating more children each year than ever before. Notable gains were seen in Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique and Uganda. In addition, more girls than ever are being protected against cervical cancer, a disease that kills a woman every two minutes worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination coverage (one dose) has increased to 40% in 2023 up from 28% the year before – making Africa the region with the second highest coverage rate globally, empowering millions of girls to fulfil their potential. Africa has also made tremendous progress in the fight against polio, recording a 93% decline in circulating variant poliovirus type 1 cases from 2023 to 2024 and a 65% decrease in variant poliovirus type 1 cases in just the past year. This year, World Immunization Week/African Vaccination Week, which is being marked under the theme Immunization For All is Humanly Possible, aims to promote the life-saving power of immunization to protect people of all ages against vaccine-preventable diseases. 'We have made great progress in expanding vaccination and saving lives, thanks to the dedication of governments and partners. But we still have more ground to cover. We must sustain and expand these life-saving efforts to build a stronger, healthier future for all,' said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa. Despite the progress, challenges persist in reaching children in the region. One in four children remain under-vaccinated (missing out on key routine vaccines) and one out of five children are unvaccinated, with many countries facing recurring outbreaks, particularly of measles – a highly contagious and potentially fatal disease. These gaps, which leave the region vulnerable, can be attributed to persistent barriers including limited access to healthcare in remote areas often due to conflict and instability, logistical and cold chain constraints, vaccine hesitancy driven by misinformation, and insufficient funding for immunization programs. These challenges are further compounded by disruptions caused by public health emergencies. 'The progress seen across African countries—bolstered by an unprecedented record of co-financing toward vaccine programmes in 2024 by African governments—demonstrates the tangible impact of sustained commitment,' said Thabani Maphosa, Chief Country Delivery Officer at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. 'However, this momentum must not stall. Conflict, population growth, displacement, and natural disasters are creating ideal conditions for outbreaks to emerge and spread. Investing in immunization and securing sufficient funding for Gavi to carry out its mission over the next five years is essential to protect our collective future.' Building on the gains in Africa, Gavi has launched an ambitious five year strategy, 'Gavi 6.0' which is anchored on three key pillars: protecting the world against pandemics and disease outbreaks; protecting people by vaccinating more children against more diseases than ever before - including reaching 50 million children with the malaria vaccine by 2030; and protecting communities by reducing the number of zero-dose children. A successful replenishment for Gavi will enable the Vaccine Alliance –a coalition of partners that includes 39 African governments - to implement this impactful 6.0 strategy and will enable countries to protect and advance the progress that has been made to date. Full engagement across the Alliance to obtain the necessary funding over the next few months will be critical. 2025 also marks the mid-point of the Immunization Agenda 2030, which aims to prevent diseases, promote equity and build strong immunization programmes. To achieve these goals, African governments and partners are encouraged to accelerate progress towards reducing zero-dose children, increase routine immunisation coverage, accelerate malaria vaccine introductions and expand access to HPV vaccines. Maintaining the progress achieved in immunization over the years will also require regional commitment to implement key strategies. These include increasing investment in health systems and infrastructure for effective vaccine delivery; enhancing surveillance systems to respond swiftly to outbreaks; addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation; bolstering domestic funding for immunization programmes; increasing the use of innovation and technology for better vaccine delivery; and investing in research and development for vaccine development. In 2024, Gavi and partners launched the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a financing mechanism established to make up to US$ 1.2 billion available over ten years to accelerate the expansion of commercially viable vaccine manufacturing in Africa. Two new collaborations under this initiative were signed earlier this year, in a positive step towards enhanced regional health security. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.
Zawya
11-04-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Reducing measles outbreak risk in 38 drought-affected districts in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia's drought-affected districts, measles outbreaks pose a significant threat to vulnerable populations, particularly children. To mitigate this risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) supported a comprehensive and integrated measles vaccination campaign across 38 woredas (16 woredas in Somali, 19 in Oromia, and 3 in South Ethiopia), reaching over 5,308 children who were either under or unvaccinated. This intervention was crucial in reducing the risk of a measles outbreak, as it targets areas with high vulnerability due to frequent droughts and population mobility. The integrated measles vaccination campaign, which ran between January and March focused on children under five years old, integrated catch-up vaccination with essential nutrition services to address both immediate and long-term health needs. WHO worked in close collaboration with UNICEF to provide technical support for the successful implementation of the campaign, with financial support from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). Integrating zero dose vaccination with campaigns like this is one of the strategies outlined in the country's BCU operational guide. This guide was developed following the broader Big Catch-Up initiative, a global effort aimed at accelerating vaccination coverage for children who missed routine immunizations due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and other emergencies. A total of 441,794 children out of the target 444,557 (99%) received the measles vaccine. Notably, the campaign identified and vaccinated 2,574 children who had never received any immunizations and 2,734 who were under-vaccinated. Additionally, over 259,286 children were screened for nutritional status, further integrating essential health services to strengthen overall child health in these vulnerable areas. The integrated measles vaccination campaign, part of the CERF supported project, aimed to enhance measles vaccination coverage across 38 selected drought-affected and drought-prone woredas. Through this initiative, WHO supported the Government of Ethiopia to bolster the capacity of health workers and the overall health system. This included training frontline health workers, expanding outreach to hard-to-reach communities impacted by both drought and service interruptions, raising community awareness, and strengthening the overall monitoring and supervision of health services. Prior to the implementation, a woreda-level microplanning workshop was conducted to capacitate health workers for the implementation of the vaccination program. These workshops were instrumental in enabling the health workers to deliver essential services effectively, playing a key role in improving immunization coverage and reducing the risk of measles outbreaks in these areas. Daily team supervision and on spot checks were conducted by WHO, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Regional Health Bureau (RHB), and partners. The supervision was facilitated using a mobile based open data kit (ODK) checklist, which allowed for real-time monitoring and quick responses to challenges. Monitoring data from the Somali region revealed strong community awareness, with 98.54% of caregivers understanding the target age group for vaccination, 99.12% being aware of the vaccination dates, 87% receiving information about potential adverse events following immunization (AEFI), and 99% of mothers knowing the location of the vaccination post. WHO has been instrumental in supporting immunization activities in Ethiopia through providing technical assistance, training health workers, and strengthening vaccination delivery systems. In collaboration with the government and partners, WHO has helped implement large-scale campaigns, including the Big Catch-Up initiative, to address vaccination gaps, especially in areas affected by emergencies. Additionally, WHO supports the procurement of vaccines, enhances disease surveillance, and improves monitoring systems to ensure timely responses to outbreaks. These efforts have over the years contributed to increasing immunization coverage and protecting children from preventable diseases across Ethiopia. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Health Organization (WHO) - Ethiopia.
Express Tribune
01-03-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pakistan reports sixth polio case of 2025
A health worker administers anti-polio drops to a child, marking the launch of the latest anti-polio campaign in the city. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS Listen to article The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a polio case from District Thatta, Sindh, marking the fourth such case in the province and the sixth case in Pakistan for the year 2025, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Promgramme website. This comes as part of a growing concern about the persistence of polio in certain regions of the country. Last year, 74 cases of polio were reported in Pakistan, with the majority coming from Balochistan (27 cases) and Sindh (23 cases). Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa reported 22 cases, while Punjab and Islamabad reported one case each. Polio remains a crippling disease that causes paralysis and has no cure. Vaccination, especially for children under five, is the most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus. Health authorities stress the importance of completing the full vaccination schedule to ensure high immunity in children, particularly in regions like Sindh where cases have been more frequent. The Polio Programme has been actively rolling out vaccination campaigns across Pakistan, with the first nationwide polio campaign of 2025 reaching over 45 million children earlier this month. Additionally, a targeted campaign in Quetta Division and Karachi took place from February 20 to 28, 2025, where around 900,000 children received both injectable and oral polio vaccines for an added immunity boost. These efforts are part of the Big Catch-Up initiative, which is being implemented by the Expanded Programme on Immunization to immunize children against 12 preventable childhood diseases. In a bid to address the potential cross-border transmission, a targeted vaccination activity was conducted in 104 union councils near Afghanistan or those hosting Afghan refugee populations. Over 600,000 children were vaccinated in this high-risk region. The Polio Programme is calling on parents to ensure that their children are vaccinated against polio, underlining that every vaccination opportunity counts in the fight to eradicate the virus and prevent further cases of paralysis. Earlier, Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its $500 million commitment to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), aimed at eradicating wild polio and controlling vaccine-derived polio outbreaks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Monday.
