{"id":151912,"date":"2025-06-25T16:06:50","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T16:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/child-vaccination-coverage-is-stagnant-the-progress-is-far-from-being-universal\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T16:06:50","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T16:06:50","slug":"child-vaccination-coverage-is-stagnant-the-progress-is-far-from-being-universal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/child-vaccination-coverage-is-stagnant-the-progress-is-far-from-being-universal\/","title":{"rendered":"Child vaccination coverage is stagnant: “The progress is far from being universal.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Vaccines have proven to be one of the \u00a0most effective public health interventions\u00a0, saving millions of lives worldwide. Over the past 50 years, vaccines have prevented an astounding \u00a0154 million childhood deaths\u00a0, a significant achievement made possible by steadily increasing vaccination coverage against deadly pathogens such as \u00a0polio\u00a0, \u00a0diphtheria\u00a0, \u00a0tetanus\u00a0, \u00a0measles\u00a0, \u00a0tuberculosis\u00a0, and \u00a0whooping cough\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Since \u00a01980\u00a0, vaccination rates against these microorganisms have \u00a0doubled\u00a0, and the number of babies without any vaccination has been reduced by \u00a0three-quarters\u00a0. However, this progress also masks a concerning trend that threatens its sustainability. Since \u00a02010\u00a0, \u00a0vaccination rates have stagnated or even declined in many countries\u00a0, as reported in a new study analyzing data from \u00a0204 nations\u00a0 published in the scientific journal The Lancet<\/i>.<\/p>\n

If this trend continues, warn the authors of the study, the set vaccination targets for \u00a02030\u00a0 will not be met. \u201cDespite monumental efforts over the last 50 years, progress is far from universal. A significant number of children remain unvaccinated,\u201d said \u00a0Jonathan Mosser\u00a0, from the University of Washington, highlighting that \u00a0global inequalities\u00a0, challenges from the \u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0, and rising levels of \u00a0misinformation\u00a0 and \u00a0vaccine hesitancy\u00a0 have all contributed to a drop in immunization momentum.<\/p>\n

The study reveals alarming examples of this worrying trend. Between \u00a02010 and 2019\u00a0, vaccination against \u00a0measles\u00a0 decreased in \u00a0100 of the 204 countries\u00a0 studied. Additionally, in \u00a021 out of 36 high-resource countries\u00a0, there were decreases in vaccination rates for at least one dose against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, polio, or tuberculosis.<\/p>\n

Situation in Spain<\/h2>\n

In \u00a0Spain\u00a0, the study indicates a decline in vaccination coverage from \u00a02019 to 2023\u00a0. The vaccination rates recorded in \u00a02019\u00a0 were \u00a098%\u00a0, which dropped to \u00a096.7%\u00a0 five years later. The number of children without any basic vaccine doses, such as the combined immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough (also known as \u00a0DTaP\u00a0), rose from \u00a07,390 to 10,734\u00a0, as reported.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Jaime P\u00e9rez\u00a0, president of the Spanish Association of Vaccinology, emphasizes that “we have high vaccination coverage among the pediatric population in Spain, which is maintained. It’s true that we have coverage that does not meet vaccination goals (like measles), but this is often due to \u00a0registration issues\u00a0 rather than actual vaccination deficits.” However, he points out that in recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the population rejecting vaccines, an issue that was not prevalent before COVID-19. “Thus, it is crucial to improve communication on results and continue emphasizing the importance of vaccination,” he stresses.<\/p>\n

The \u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0 has impacted the challenges vaccinations were already facing since the beginning of the century. In fact, the study estimates that \u00a015.6 million children\u00a0 missed the three doses of the combined vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough or failed to receive vaccines against measles between \u00a02020 and 2023\u00a0; \u00a015.9 million\u00a0 missed polio immunization, while \u00a09.18 million\u00a0 were left without tuberculosis vaccination.<\/p>\n

As of \u00a02023\u00a0, half of the \u00a015.7 million children\u00a0 without even basic vaccines were concentrated in just \u00a0eight countries\u00a0, mostly situated in \u00a0sub-Saharan Africa\u00a0. These nations include \u00a0Nigeria\u00a0, \u00a0India\u00a0, \u00a0Democratic Republic of Congo\u00a0, \u00a0Ethiopia\u00a0, \u00a0Somalia\u00a0, \u00a0Sudan\u00a0, \u00a0Indonesia\u00a0, and \u00a0Brazil\u00a0.<\/p>\n

The study indicates that to achieve the \u00a02030 goal\u00a0 of halving the number of children without basic vaccines compared to \u00a02019\u00a0, efforts must be \u00a0doubled\u00a0. Current estimates suggest that only the vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough has any possibility of reaching a \u00a090%\u00a0 global coverage, and only if the most optimistic scenarios are realized.<\/p>\n

The analysis highlights the persistence of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, citing \u00a0polio\u00a0 cases recorded in \u00a0Pakistan\u00a0, \u00a0Afghanistan\u00a0, and \u00a0Papua New Guinea\u00a0, and showing disturbing data regarding the state of \u00a0measles\u00a0 in \u00a0Europe\u00a0 and other regions of the world.<\/p>\n

The Measles Case<\/h2>\n

In \u00a02024\u00a0, these infections increased \u00a0tenfold\u00a0 in the \u00a0European Union\u00a0 and the \u00a0European Economic Area\u00a0. Furthermore, the \u00a0United States\u00a0 has seen over \u00a01,000 confirmed measles cases\u00a0 across \u00a030 states\u00a0, surpassing the totals for all of \u00a02023\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Spain has also registered outbreaks and sporadic infections in recent months. Specifically, \u00a0217 cases\u00a0 were confirmed in \u00a02024\u00a0, according to the Advisory Committee on Vaccines of the Spanish Pediatric Association, which notes that these numbers are “significantly higher than during the 2021 to 2023 period.” In the first quarter of \u00a02025\u00a0, \u00a0179 additional cases\u00a0 were detected (57 imported, 69 linked, and 53 of unknown or investigatory origin), with the greatest incidence in \u00a0Andalusia\u00a0, \u00a0Basque Country\u00a0, \u00a0Catalonia\u00a0, and \u00a0Melilla\u00a0.<\/p>\n

Despite the rise in cases, P\u00e9rez reassures that, in our country, “it is not expected that measles will return to significant levels.” However, he clarifies that achieving high vaccination coverage against the disease is essential for its elimination. He warns that if these numbers are not reached, “we could face challenges in our elimination objectives, leading to an increase in outbreaks and the risks they pose to affected individuals. On average, \u00a020% of measles cases present complications\u00a0, especially pneumonia, and sadly, the disease can be fatal in \u00a01-3 out of every 1,000 cases\u00a0,” he reminds us.<\/p>\n

The report’s authors call for measures to address the inequalities and challenges posed by vaccination at a global scale, a sentiment echoed by P\u00e9rez. “As the report indicates, we have taken steps backward in certain vaccines, compounded by the lack of cooperation from the \u00a0USA\u00a0 in international public health, which could make the future scenario even more concerning,” he laments.<\/p>\n

Among the \u00a0most pressing challenges\u00a0, the expert cites the necessity to “maintain childhood vaccination coverage, improve adult vaccination rates, successfully integrate new vaccines in a timely manner, and engage the population through showing the health results that vaccines ensure.” Regarding the latter, P\u00e9rez recalls that immunization with the monoclonal antibody against \u00a0RSV\u00a0 (respiratory syncytial virus) helped prevent \u00a010,000 hospitalizations\u00a0 in Spain. “This is the kind of message we need to convey to our population,” he concludes. “Vaccines are safe and effective.”<\/p>\n

\n
\n

The Spanish Association of Vaccinology, Opposing the Dismissal of 17 Experts in the USA<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The Spanish Association of Vaccinology expressed on Tuesday its opposition to the dismissal of \u00a017 members\u00a0 of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in the United States (ACIP) carried out by \u00a0Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This rapid and irregular replacement of committee members, who have proven expertise, has been denounced by vaccinologists, who also remark that the new appointments are predominantly filled by individuals with little experience in vaccinations or those who maintain a negative view of them. “This makes it quite difficult to expect an objective and expert perspective on immunizations,” they stress.<\/p>\n

The Spanish organization has joined the protest of more than \u00a020 American scientific societies\u00a0, including the \u00a0American Academy of Pediatrics\u00a0 and the \u00a0American Academy of Family Physicians\u00a0, emphasizing that “vaccines are for everyone\u2014regardless of political affiliation. Politics should never interfere with science, neither against it nor appropriating it.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\n
General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vaccines have proven to be one of the \u00a0most effective public health interventions\u00a0, saving millions of lives worldwide. Over the past 50 years, vaccines have prevented an astounding \u00a0154 million childhood deaths\u00a0, a significant achievement made possible by steadily increasing vaccination coverage against deadly pathogens such as \u00a0polio\u00a0, \u00a0diphtheria\u00a0, \u00a0tetanus\u00a0, \u00a0measles\u00a0, \u00a0tuberculosis\u00a0, and \u00a0whooping cough\u00a0. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36400],"tags":[1548,36717,36729,2668,3661,26681,37616,19866,2257,37615],"class_list":["post-151912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-child","tag-ciencia-y-salud","tag-ciencia-y-salud-salud","tag-coverage","tag-progress","tag-salud","tag-stagnant","tag-universal","tag-vaccination","tag-vacunas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}