SUMMARY
- WHO and UNICEF report stagnant vaccine coverage: 14 million children received no vaccine in 2024, mirroring 2023 figures.
- U.S. aid withdrawal, anti-vax misinformation, and conflict zones identified as major contributors to widening immunization gaps.
- Global measles outbreaks surge as vaccine rates fall short of 95% threshold; UK child death renews urgency for adult vaccination.
A Year of Broken Promises: Why 2024 Marked a Dangerous Stall in Global Vaccine Coverage
In a world still reeling from post-pandemic disruptions, the latest WHO-UNICEF vaccine coverage report is both a warning and a grim reality check. Despite years of progress in immunization campaigns, 2024 saw a staggering 14 million children left completely unvaccinated — an unyielding figure identical to the year before. This plateau isn’t just statistical inertia; it’s symptomatic of a deeper collapse in international health solidarity, fueled by political decisions, logistical failures, and a global surge in misinformation.
At the heart of this crisis is a dramatic geopolitical shift. The United States, under President Trump’s leadership, has not only withdrawn from the WHO but also frozen nearly all humanitarian aid, including vital contributions to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance. These moves have created ripple effects across the global South, especially in countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria, where healthcare systems rely heavily on international support. Compounding this, long-time anti-vaccine campaigners like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have re-entered public discourse with renewed attacks on established vaccines — this time without credible evidence, but with far-reaching consequences.
The result: a slow-motion unraveling of decades-long gains in child immunization. And as measles outbreaks sweep across over 60 countries, including the UK and the U.S., the human cost is already mounting.
🚨🇺🇸💉 REPORT: OVER 14M CHILDREN RECEIVED NO VACCINES IN 2024
— Verity (@improvethenews) July 16, 2025
Narrative A: Vaccination programs face unprecedented challenges, including funding cuts and misinformation campaigns, that threaten decades of progress. The Trump administration's withdrawal from the WHO and cuts to… pic.twitter.com/iIEw0uuTSX
Aid Collapse and Anti-Vax Rhetoric: The Perfect Storm
- U.S. withdrawal from WHO and Gavi disrupted multilateral vaccine financing.
- Misleading anti-vaccine rhetoric targeting DTP shots (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) gained traction globally.
- WHO says vaccine misinformation now rivals access as a top threat to immunization.
In January 2024, President Trump’s administration began its systematic dismantling of international vaccine support — a sequence that started with the formal exit from the WHO and culminated in cutting billions in contributions to Gavi, the global vaccines alliance. In doing so, it severed a critical funding lifeline for immunization programs in fragile states. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that these “drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress.”
Meanwhile, public health messaging faced a parallel crisis. Vaccine disinformation surged, particularly around the widely used DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough) vaccine. Although its safety and effectiveness have been validated for decades, influencers and fringe political actors peddled doubts, muddying public confidence. The consequences of this two-pronged attack — funding withdrawal and trust erosion — are now measurable in millions of missed vaccinations.
A Deepening Global Divide in Vaccine Access
- Just 9 countries account for over half of the world’s unvaccinated children.
- Sudan reports lowest coverage; conflict zones and displaced populations at highest risk.
- 2024 coverage data show flatlined DTP-1 rates (89%) and modest gains in full DTP series (85%).
The global immunization map is now marked by acute disparities. According to WHO-UNICEF estimates, 52% of all zero-dose children — those who did not receive a single vaccine — are concentrated in just nine countries: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Angola. Among them, Sudan reported the lowest immunization rate, hampered by protracted civil unrest and the near-collapse of healthcare delivery in conflict zones.
While the first dose of DTP vaccine (DTP-1) held steady at 89% globally, completion of the full three-dose regimen saw only a 1% uptick from the previous year. This sluggish progress underscores the ongoing challenges faced by health workers in ensuring continuity of care, especially in high-risk or remote areas.
Measles Resurgence: A Canary in the Immunization Coal Mine
- 76% of children received both measles vaccine doses — far below the 95% target needed to prevent outbreaks.
- UK and U.S. report largest outbreaks in over three decades.
- Measles death in Liverpool renews push for adult vaccination awareness.
Measles — the most contagious of vaccine-preventable diseases — has returned with a vengeance. WHO’s report confirms that 60 countries experienced significant measles outbreaks in 2024, with over 125,000 reported cases globally — double the previous year. The U.S. is now experiencing its largest outbreak in over 30 years. In the UK, public health officials confirmed the death of a child from measles at a Liverpool hospital just last week, an event that has refocused national attention on lagging vaccination rates.
“Only about 84% of children in the UK are protected,” noted Helen Bradford, professor of children’s health at University College London. “It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks.” She emphasized that adults can — and should — receive vaccinations if missed in childhood: “It is never too late to be vaccinated.”
Experts widely agree that without rapid corrective action, these outbreaks are only a prelude to broader health crises, especially in countries where vaccine infrastructure has already been gutted.
Final Dose: Vaccine Progress Can’t Survive on Data Alone
This year’s coverage plateau is a warning — that we’ve hit the ceiling not just of vaccine access, but of political commitment. When the world’s most powerful country pulls the plug on multilateral health systems and its internal actors sow confusion about science, the result is what we see today: millions of children unprotected, avoidable deaths, and a backslide that could take a decade to reverse. If the international community truly values the legacy of immunization, it will take more than awareness campaigns. It will take action.
