Thu Jul 24 22:20:00 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Global Childhood Vaccination Rates Still Lagging Post-Pandemic, India Among Nations with High Number of “Zero-Dose” Children**
**GUWAHATI, July 25, 2025** – A new study published in *The Lancet* reveals that global childhood vaccination rates have not recovered to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels by 2023, raising concerns about the potential for outbreaks of preventable diseases. The study highlights that India, along with seven other countries, accounts for more than half of the world’s 15.7 million “zero-dose” children in 2023 – defined as those who have not received the first dose of the DTP vaccine.
Other countries with significant numbers of unvaccinated children include Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan.
“The study highlights the progress and challenges in global childhood vaccination efforts from 1980 to 2023. It shows that the coverage for key vaccines for DTP, measles, polio, and tuberculosis nearly doubled over this period, but the positive trend hides some worrying developments,” said Hemen Sarma, an associate professor at Assam’s Bodoland University.
The study indicates a slowdown in vaccination progress between 2010 and 2019 in many countries, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. While vaccination rates for newer vaccines such as those for pneumonia and rotavirus continued to rise, they did so at a slower pace. The study also found that the number of zero-dose children spiked during the pandemic, peaking at 18.6 million in 2021, after showing progress from 1980 to 2019. These children predominantly reside in conflict zones or areas with limited access to healthcare, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Researchers are urging immediate action to strengthen healthcare systems, combat vaccine misinformation, and reach underserved communities to meet global immunization targets. They emphasize the importance of campaigns like the WHO’s ‘Big Catch-Up’ and the restoration of routine immunization programs, with a focus on Africa and South Asia.
The study, conducted by researchers worldwide using advanced modeling techniques, provides updated estimates of routine childhood vaccine coverage across 204 countries and territories. It highlights the urgent need to address the setbacks caused by the pandemic and ensure that all children have access to life-saving vaccines.
First Piper 