United Nations warns of falling vaccination rates among children in conflict-ridden areas
- Only about 84 per cent of infants globally received their full course of shots last year
Around 14.5 million children failed to get vaccinated in 2023, below the necessary level to prevent disease outbreaks.
Around 14.5 million children failed to get vaccinated in 2023, below the necessary level to prevent disease outbreaks.
Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
A rise in conflicts worldwide has led to an increasing number of children being left out of essential vaccination drives.
According to the United Nations, shots for diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough declined last year due to a falling supply of life-saving vaccinations in strife-torn regions.
According to UN estimates, about 14.5 million children failed to get vaccinated in 2023, compared with 13.9 million a year earlier. In total, 84 per cent of infants globally received their full course last year, below the necessary level to prevent disease outbreaks.
Unicef and WHO said war-torn regions saw a big jump in the number of children who were not immunised in 2023.