UNICEF Geneva Palais briefing note on the WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage
This is a summary of what was said by Ephrem Tekle Lemango – UNICEF Associate Director of Immunisation – to whom quoted text may be attributed – on the release of the joint WUENIC data, at the press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
NEW YORK (July 18, 2023) – “Last year, UNICEF described the backsliding in childhood immunization coverage as a “red alert for child health. Today, we see a hope that this trend is reversing.
“However, the recovery is uneven with improvement concentrated in only a few countries. Just, 8 large countries account for 3.8 million of the 4 million additional children reached in 2022: India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan and Tanzania.
“In 2021, we had reported that 73 countries recorded substantial declines (above 5%) during the pandemic, out of these, just 15 have recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
“24 are on route to recovery but the largest number - 34 of them - have stagnated at pandemic levels or continued declining. Low-income countries are struggling the most.
“This is because they are facing other challenges, such as conflict and crises, but also because, over many years, they have not had the resources to build resilient health systems.
“The data indicates that countries with steady, sustained vaccination coverage in the years before the pandemic have been able to stabilize immunization services since.
“Regions that suffered longstanding declines, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, have not been as resilient.
“This underscores how important it is for governments to make progress in immunization coverage but also maintain adequate investment to sustain their achievement.
“What is at stake in these critical decisions? Children’s lives.
“Since coverage levels declined, we have witnessed increasing outbreak of diseases such as measles, yellow fever and diphtheria and our efforts to eradicate polio have been set back. 59 countries reported a total of 80 outbreaks in 2022.
“If we don’t catch-up vaccinations of older children that were missed since 2019, quickly and urgently, we will inevitably witness more outbreaks and be responsible for more child deaths.
“In 2022, some countries demonstrated that recovery is possible. Let us receive the findings from WHO and UNICEF today as a powerful and urgent call to action and help countries everywhere follow their lead.
“Governments have an opportunity, in this moment, to:
- Double-down on their commitment to increase financing for immunization and work with stakeholders to unlock available resources to implement catch-up efforts.
- Enable immunizers reach children who were born just before or during the pandemic and who are now moving past the eligible age when they would be vaccinated by routine immunization services.
- Build and sustain vaccine confidence and acceptance through engagement with communities and health providers.
And most importantly,
- For countries with stagnant coverage, it is critical that they strengthen primary health care services and expand immunization -including through community health workers – to reach the most marginalized children.
Thank you.”
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