WHO Welcomes Progress in Childhood Vaccination Campaign

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced progress in its campaign to "catch up" on childhood vaccinations, an initiative launched following disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The initiative, which concluded on March 31, aims to reach 21 million unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children. So far, approximately 18.3 million children aged 1-5 years in 36 countries have been vaccinated, with over 100 million doses of essential vaccines administered.

Among these, 12.3 million children had never been vaccinated and 15 million had not been vaccinated against measles. Additionally, 23 million doses of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) were administered.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the program helped reverse the negative consequences of the pandemic. Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar emphasized the importance of collaboration to protect the vulnerable.

Ephraim Lemango of Unicef highlighted the need for vaccination systems that protect every child in time, while Kate O’Brien of the WHO referred to the increasing politicization of vaccines as a worrying phenomenon.