Global partners announce new effort – ‘The Big Catch’ – to vaccinate millions of children and restore immunization progress lost during pandemic

• The pandemic has led to a reduction in basic immunization levels in over 100 countriesleading to the rise of epidemics of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever.
• ‘The Big Catch-up’ is an expanded effort to raise vaccination rates among children to at least pre-pandemic levels and strive to surpass them.
• Led by a wide range of national and global health partners, The Big Catch-up also aims to ensure stronger primary care services for basic immunization in the future.

WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the 2030 Immunization Agenda and many other global and national health partners, are joining forces today to call for “The Big Catch-up”, a targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children after a decline triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effort aims to reverse the decline in childhood vaccinations seen in more than 100 countries since the pandemic, due to overburdened health services, closed clinics and disrupted imports and exports of vials, syringes and other medical supplies. Meanwhile, communities and families experienced lockdowns, restrictions on travel and access to services, and financial and human resources were limited along with access to health products, due to the emergency response. Ongoing challenges such as conflict, climate crises and vaccine hesitancy have also contributed to declining coverage rates.

With more than 25 million children missing at least one vaccination in 2021 alone, outbreaks of preventable diseases, including measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever, are already becoming more prevalent and serious. Big Catch-up aims to protect populations from vaccine-preventable epidemics, save children’s lives and strengthen national health systems.

While calling on people and governments in every country to play their part in helping to catch up by reaching children who have missed out on vaccinations, Big Catch-up will focus specifically on 20 countries where three-quarters of children who have missed out on vaccinations in 2021 live*.

Although global coverage levels have declined, there are also bright spots of resilience. For example, early reports show that India saw a strong recovery in basic immunization in 2022, while Uganda maintained high levels of coverage during the pandemic. Countries have also been successful in reaching groups in vulnerable situations. In Kenya, for example, collaboration with community health workers and local leaders improved immunization levels among the nomadic population in the north of the country.

To ensure progress in childhood immunization, partners work with countries to strengthen the health workforce, improve health service delivery, build trust and demand for vaccines within communities, and address gaps and barriers to re-establishing immunization. In addition to catching up on childhood vaccination, increased efforts are needed to introduce the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to adolescents to prevent cervical cancer, especially in low- and middle-income countries where the burden is greatest.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Millions of children and adolescents, especially in lower-income countries, have missed out on life-saving vaccinations, while outbreaks of these deadly diseases have increased. WHO is supporting dozens of countries to renew immunizations and other essential health services. Catching up is a top priority. No child should die from a vaccine-preventable disease.”

“Routine vaccines are usually a child’s first entry into their health care system, so children who miss their early vaccines are at additional risk of long-term exclusion from health care,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The longer we wait to reach these children and vaccinate them, the more vulnerable they become and the greater the risk of outbreaks of more deadly diseases. Countries, global partners and local communities must come together to strengthen services, build trust and save lives.”

“We cannot allow the legacy of the pandemic to destroy years of work to protect more and more children from deadly, preventable diseases,” said Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, Vaccine Alliance. “Global health partners, working with governments and communities, must do everything they can to protect the life of every child.”

“Vaccines are a public health triumph,” said Dr. Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The incredible progress that has been made towards ending polio and reducing the incidence of infectious diseases is a direct result of the thousands of dedicated global partners and local health workers who have worked to immunize millions of children. We must double down to give all children the vaccines they need for healthier lives and ensure future generations live free of preventable diseases like polio.”

Notes to editors

For more information on The Big Catch-up, visit WHO’s pagethe interactive site on the recently published UNICEF report on the state of children in the world, and center partner content for World Vaccination Week.

*The 20 countries where three quarters of children who missed vaccination in 2021 live are: Afghanistan, Angola, Brazil, Cameroon, Chad, DPRK, DRC, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique , Myanmar, Tanzania, Vietnam.

About the World Health Organization
Committed to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and supports global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal opportunity to live a safe and healthy life. We are the UN health agency that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in more than 150 locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health problems and expanding access to medicines and healthcare. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. www.who.int

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the most difficult places in the world to reach the most disadvantaged children. In more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for all.

For more information about UNICEF and its work, visit: www.unicef.org
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About Gavi, Vaccine Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half of the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped vaccinate an entire generation – over 981 million children – and prevented more than 16.2 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 low-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country governments and donors, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. To understand how the pandemic has affected basic vaccination in Gavi-supported countries, read our analysis on the state of routine immunization. Learn more at Gavi.org and connect with us atFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Driven by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it is aimed at improving people’s health and giving them a chance to escape from hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it strives to ensure that all people—especially those with the least resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and in life. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by Executive Director Mark Suzman, under the leadership of Co-Chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and a Board of Directors.