War mainly responsible for huge drop in global vaccinations, UN warns

A new report from UNICEF and the World Health Organization has revealed a troubling rise in the number of unvaccinated children globally, the Guardian reported yesterday.

According to the article, around 14.5 million children did not receive a single vaccine dose in 2023, up from 12.8 million in 2019.

Conflicts and humanitarian crises are largely to blame, with more than half of these “zero-dose” children living in countries affected by armed conflicts, such as Sudan, Yemen, and Afghanistan. In Sudan, vaccination rates have plummeted from 85% to just 50% due to the ongoing war.

Health officials warn that these unvaccinated children are at grave risk, lacking not just vaccines, but also basic healthcare, nutrition, and security. The UN’s goal of halving zero-dose children by 2030 is now off-track, putting millions of young lives in jeopardy.