Midpoint review of Immunisation Agenda 2030 reveals widening coverage gaps despite major gains in disease prevention

By ifeoma Onyekachi

The World Health Organization (WHO) says vaccines have prevented more than 150 million deaths globally over the past 50 years, highlighting immunisation as one of the most effective interventions in modern public health  even as progress now faces mounting threats.

In a statement marking World Immunization Week (April 24–30), the agency said widespread vaccine uptake has sharply reduced mortality and transmission rates for diseases such as measles, polio, diphtheria, pertussis and rotavirus.

Beyond traditional childhood immunisation, WHO noted that advances in vaccine science are expanding protection against a broader range of diseases, including malaria, human papillomavirus (HPV), cholera, dengue, meningitis, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), Ebola and mpox  extending benefits across all age groups.

The milestone comes at the halfway point of the Immunisation Agenda 2030, a global framework designed to ensure equitable access to vaccines. While recent years have recorded millions of additional lives saved, WHO warned that the programme is falling behind key targets.

According to the agency, setbacks linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical instability, climate-related disruptions and persistent funding shortfalls have weakened routine immunisation systems in several countries, increasing the risk of outbreaks.

WHO is now urging governments and partners to reinforce national immunisation infrastructure, integrate vaccination more effectively into primary healthcare systems, and scale up financing to close widening coverage gaps.

Meanwhile, a joint recovery effort by WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance  known as “The Big Catch-up”  has reached an estimated 18.3 million children across 36 countries since 2023. The initiative has also delivered 23 million doses of inactivated polio vaccine and is on track to meet its goal of vaccinating at least 21 million children.