Increasing the outbreak of diseases that can be prevented from threatening the years of progress, warn who, UNICEF, Gavi

The efforts in immunization are increasingly threats because disinformation, population growth, humanitarian crisis and financing reduce progress and leave millions of children, adolescents and adults at risk, warn who, UNICEF and Gavi during World Immunization Week, from April 24 to April 30.

The outbreak of diseases that can be prevented by vaccine, such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever, are growing globally, and diseases such as diphtheria, which have long been kept in the bay or have virtually disappeared in many countries, threatening to re -appear again. In response, agencies call for emergency and lasting political attention and investment to strengthen immunization programs and protect significant progress achieved in reducing children's mortality in the last 50 years.

“The vaccines have been saved by more than 150 million lives in the last five decades,” said Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhan Ghebreyesus. “The reduction in global health has been in danger of this difficult gain gain. The outbreaks of diseases that can be supplemented are increased around the world, bringing life to risk and exposing countries with increased costs in the treatment of illness and responding to epidemics. The countries with limited resources must invest in interventions with the greatest influence and that involves vaccines.

Growing outburst and tense health systems

Zapi's are particularly dangerous. The number of cases is increasing year to year from 2021, monitoring the decrease in immunization coverage that occurred during and from Coid-19 pandemia in many communities. The measles cases have reached the estimated 10.3 million in 2023, which is a 20% increase compared to 2022.

Agencies warn that this trend of ascension probably continued at the age of 2024 and 2025, as the epidemics intensified around the world. In the last 12 months, 138 countries have reported cases of measles, and 61 have experienced large or devastating epidemics-which has been mostly observed at any period of 12 months since 2019.

Cases of meningitis in Africa also increased sharply in 2024, and the growth trend continued until 2025. In the first three months of this year, more than 5500 suspicious cases and almost 300 deaths were reported in 22 countries. This follows about 26,000 cases and almost 1400 deaths in 24 countries last year.

Cases of yellow fever in the African region are also climbed, and 124 confirmed cases reported in 12 countries in 2024. This comes after a dramatic fall of the disease over the past decade, thanks to global vaccine supplies and the use of yellow fever vaccine in routine immunization programs. In the WHO America region, the outbreak of yellow fever has been confirmed since the beginning of this year, with a total of 131 cases in 4 countries.

These epidemics come in the midst of global funding reductions. Recent Which rapid stocks take With 108 village offices WHO-headed in low-and-lower and medium-sized countries, almost half of these countries face moderate to severe vaccination campaigns, routine immunization and supplies of supplies due to reduced donor financing. Disease supervision, including for diseases that can be prevented by a vaccine, also affects more than half of the surveyed countries.

At the same time, the number of children missing routine vaccinations increases in recent years, even when countries are making efforts to catch children missed during pandemic. In 2023, estimated 14.5 million children missed all their routine doses of the vaccine – compared to 13.9 million in 2022 and 12.9 million in 2019. Over half of these children live in countries that face conflict, fragility or instability, where access to basic health services is often spoiled.

“Global financing crisis seriously limits our ability to vaccinate over 15 million vulnerable children in fragile and conflicts affected by measles,” said UNICEF CEO Catherine Russell. “Immunization services, diseases of the disease and the response response in almost 50 countries are already disturbed-s strangers at a similar level as we have seen during the Coid-19. We cannot afford to lose soil in the fight against preventative diseases.”

Continuous investment in “BIG compensation”, launched in 2023 to reach children who missed vaccines during the Coid-19 pandemic and the other will be critical programs of routine immunization.

As immunization deals with these challenges

Common efforts by WHO, UNICEF, Gavi and partners helped the countries extend access to vaccines and strengthen the immunization systems through primary health care, even despite the increasing challenges. Each year, the vaccines save almost 4.2 million lives against 14 diseases – with almost half of these lives saved in the African region.

Vaccination campaigns have led to the removal of meningitis and in the meningitis belt in Africa, while a new vaccine protecting against five strains of meningitis promises to protect wider protection, with efforts to expand its use to answer and prevention of outburst.

Progress has also been achieved in reducing the cases and death of yellow fever by increasing routine immunization and supplies of emergency vaccines, but the recent epidemic in Africa and in the region of America emphasize the risk in areas without reported cases in past, low routine coverage of vaccination and emptiness in preventive campaigns.

In addition, there has been significant progress in other areas of immunization for the last two years. In the African region that has the largest burden of cervical cancer in the world, the coverage of the HPV vaccine has almost doubled between 2020 and 2023. From 21% to 40%, reflecting a common global effort toward Eliminating a cervical crab. Imunisation progress also includes an increase in the global coverage of the vaccine against pneumococcal conjugates, especially in the Southeast Asia region, together with the introduction in Chad and Somalia, countries with a high burden of the disease.

The second turning point is a sub -subtnational introduction of malaria vaccine in nearly 20 African countries, placing the foundation in order to save half a million additional lives by 2035, as more and more countries are adopting a vaccine and speeding up acceleration as part of the malaria to fight.

Call for action

UNICEF, who and Gavi urgently invite parents, public and politicians to strengthen support for immunization. Agencies emphasize the need for permanent investments in vaccine programs and immunization programs and urge countries to respect their obligations to the 2030 immunization agent (I2030).

As part of integrated primary care systems, vaccination can be protected from illness and associate families with other basic care, such as antennatal care, nutrition, or a launch of malaria. Immunization is 'the best purchase' in health with a return of investment in the amount of $ 54 for each dollar invested and provides the basis for future prosperity and health security.

“Increasing the epidemic of highly infectious diseases is worried about the whole world. The good news is that we can reciprocate, and Gavi's next strategic period has a clear plan to strengthen our defense by expanding in global vaccine supplies and drawing targeted preventive vaccination in countries, AllSa, Celenits, Ances.” The year and we invite our donors to support our mission in the interest of being safer from the disease that can be prevented everywhere. “

Gavi's upcoming high-level summit held on June 25, 2025. He tries to raise at least $ 9 billion from our donors to finance our ambitious strategy for the protection of 500 million children, saving at least 8 million lives from 2026-2030.

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Notes to the editor:

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O Who
Dedicated by the health and well -being of all people and science, the World Health Organization leads and advocates with global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, a chance in a safe and healthy life. We are the UN Health Agency. We connect nations, partners and people on the first lines at 150+ locations – which leads to the world of emergency emergency cases, preventing the disease, solving the fundamental causes of health problems and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, protect the world and serve vulnerable. www.who.int

O UNICEF
UNICEF operates on some of the most difficult places in the world to reach the end of the most vulnerable in the world. Through more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF, visit his work: www.nicef.org.

O Gava, the vaccine federation
Gavi, a vaccine federation is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half of the children in the world against some of the most deadly diseases in the world. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped the immunization of the entire generation – over 1.1 billion children – and prevented more than 18.8 million future deaths, helping to halve children in 78 countries with lower incomes. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems, as well as financing global stocks for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on the protection of the next generation, primarily children with a zero dose who have not received a single vaccine hit. The vaccine federation uses innovative finances and the latest technology-on unmanned flyers to biometry-how to save lives, prevent epidemics before being expanding and helping countries on their way to self-sufficiency. Find out more on www.gavi.org.