New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday called for renewed efforts to ensure every child in the South-East Asia Region receives life-saving vaccines, despite the region maintaining high routine immunisation coverage in 2025, an official release from the organisation said.
According to the latest WHO and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2025, nearly 1.2 million children in the region did not receive their first routine vaccine in 2025, while around 600,000 children remained only partially vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.
The WHO South-East Asia Region remained the highest-performing among the six WHO regions in routine childhood immunisation. Coverage of the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP3) stood at 94 per cent in 2025, well above the global average of 85 per cent, the release said.
"As we build on the high immunisation coverage, we must focus on the children who are still being missed. Every zero-dose and partially vaccinated child represents inequity in access to essential health services and a missed opportunity to protect life. By focusing our efforts on underserved and hard-to-reach communities, we can close the remaining equity gaps and ensure that every child benefits from the life-saving protection that vaccines provide," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge of the WHO South-East Asia Region.
The report, as per the release, also showed that coverage of the first dose of the measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) increased to 96 per cent in 2025 from 95 per cent in 2024. Coverage of the second dose (MCV2) rose to 93 per cent, remaining well above the global average.
Despite the progress, WHO estimated that 1.2 million children in the region did not receive the first dose of the DTP vaccine in 2025. While this marked a 65 per cent decline from 3.3 million zero-dose children recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, the reduction compared with 2024 was marginal, with only around 23,000 fewer zero-dose children.
In addition, nearly 600,000 children did not complete the recommended three-dose DTP vaccination schedule in 2025.
According to the WHO, zero-dose and partially vaccinated children are mainly concentrated in underserved, remote, conflict-affected and marginalised communities. Along with susceptible children from previous birth cohorts, they continue to create immunity gaps, increasing the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases across the region.
"Strengthening primary health care, using local data for tailored strategies to identify underserved populations, engaging communities and integrating immunisation with other essential health services will be critical to close the immunity gaps and ensure no child is left behind," Dr Boehme said.
She also stressed the importance of achieving high and equitable coverage of both doses of the measles vaccine to prevent outbreaks and support the region's goal of eliminating measles and rubella.
"The recent measles outbreaks in the region, including in Bangladesh, underscore how quickly immunity gaps can lead to resurgence and spread of this highly infectious disease. These outbreaks serve as a reminder that ensuring timely vaccination of every eligible child is critical," Dr Boehme added.
WHO said countries in the region are increasingly adopting a life-course approach to immunisation by expanding vaccine coverage beyond infancy and childhood to adolescents, adults and older people. It said maintaining high coverage of tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccination among pregnant women remains vital to protecting mothers and newborns, while expanding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination will help reduce the burden of cervical cancer.
"Our priority now should be a targeted equity-focused approach to reach every child, protect communities and achieve the goals of Immunisation Agenda 2030. At the same time, we must continue expanding access to vaccines across the life course so that everyone, at every stage of life, benefits from the protection that immunisation offers," Dr Boehme said.
(ANI)
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.
