WASHINGTON, DC – The World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that while childhood immunization in the Americas, including the Caribbean, has shown encouraging signs of recovery last year, significant gaps remain.
According to the new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, over 1.4 million children did not receive a single dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, marking an increase in so-called “zero-dose” children.
The findings are part of the 2024 WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC), which show that while global childhood vaccination coverage has largely stabilized, nearly 20 million children worldwide missed at least one DTP vaccine dose, including 14.3 million zero-dose children.
n the Americas, the number of zero-dose children rose by 186,000 compared to the previous year, reaching 1,465,000.
“The Americas has shown a firm commitment to protecting its child population, but the gaps in vaccination coverage remind us that more must be done,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the regional office of WHO for the Americas.
“Vaccination remains one of the most effective tools to prevent diseases and save lives. We cannot allow any child to be left unprotected,” he added.
The WHO said that immunization coverage in the Americas improved for several key antigens such as MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) with coverage of the first dose increased from 86 to 88 per cent, and the second dose from 75 to 77 per cent.
Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV3) rose from 76 to 79 percent, while hepatitis B at birth increased from 64 to 68 per cent, a key step toward hepatitis B elimination.
The WHO said that for the HPV vaccine, the Americas has the highest coverage globally, with 76 per cent of girls under 15 years of age receiving at least one dose. However, it said more effort is needed to reach the target of at least 90 per cent.
The WHO said that despite these gains, DTP1 coverage in the Americas declined slightly from 90 percent in 2023 to 89 per cent in 2024, reversing a positive trend and contributing to the increase in zero-dose children.
DTP3 coverage remained steady at 86 percent, but nine of 35 countries and territories reported coverage below 80 per cent, raising the risk of disease outbreaks. Additionally, three countries reported dropout rates above 10 per cent between the first and third DTP doses.
The WHO report said that these gaps reflect ongoing barriers in equitable access to immunization, and retention, especially in marginalized and underserved communities.
PAHO said it is working closely with countries to strengthen national immunization programmes through Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Maturity Assessments, completed for 12 countries in the last two-and-a-half years and already underway in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia.
PAHO is also supporting countries to target children who missed vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, with expected coverage increases of one to four per cent in affected cohorts.
The UN health agency said that it is recommending priority actions for Caribbean and other countries inn the Americas to include identifying and reaching zero-dose children with locally tailored strategies, strengthening follow-up systems to reduce dropout rates as well as ensuring adequate vaccine supply and accessibility.
In addition, it is urging countries to continue training health workers and engaging communities to counter vaccine hesitancy adding that embedding immunization in strong primary health care to reduce missed opportunities
“Member states must remain committed to strengthening immunization strategies through joint efforts so that the region can reclaim its historic leadership in vaccination and protect the health of present and future generations,” said Dr. Barbosa.
