The UNICEF procured
2.5 billion doses of vaccines for children in nearly 100 countries in 2016, reaching almost half of the
world’s children under the age of five, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Releasing this figures, during
World Immunization Week, UNICEF the largest buyer of vaccines for children in
the world, noted that Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan, remained the three polio-endemic
countries.
UNICEF also each received more doses of vaccines than any
other country, with almost 450 million doses of vaccines procured to children
in Nigeria, 395 million in Pakistan and over 150 million in Afghanistan. UNICEF
is the lead procurement agency for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Access to immunization
has led to a dramatic decrease in deaths of children under five from
vaccine-preventable diseases, and has brought the world closer to eradicating
polio. Between 2000 and 2015, under five deaths due to measles declined by 85
per cent and those due to neonatal tetanus by 83 per cent. A proportion of the
47 per cent reduction in pneumonia deaths and 57 per cent reduction in diarrhea
deaths in this time is also attributed to vaccines.
Yet an estimated 19.4
million children around the world still miss out on full vaccinations every
year. Around two thirds of all unvaccinated children live in conflict-affected countries.
Weak health systems, poverty and social inequities also mean that 1 in 5
children under five is still not reached with life-saving vaccines.
“All children, no matter
where they live or what their circumstances are, have the right to survive and
thrive, safe from deadly diseases,” said Dr. Robin Nandy, Chief of Immunization
at UNICEF. “Since 1990, immunization has been a major reason for the
substantial drop in child mortality, but despite this progress, 1.5 million
children still die from vaccine preventable diseases every year.”
Inequalities persist
between rich and poor children. In countries where 80 per cent of the world’s
under-five child deaths occur, over half of the poorest children are not fully
vaccinated. Globally, the poorest children are nearly twice as likely to die
before the age of five as the richest.
“In addition to children
living in rural communities where access to services is limited, more and more
children living in overcrowded cities and slum dwellings are also missing out
on vital vaccinations,” said Nandy. “Overcrowding, poverty, poor hygiene and
sanitation as well as inadequate nutrition and health care increase the risk of
diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhea and measles in these communities; diseases
that are easily preventable with vaccines.”
By 2030, an estimated 1
in 4 people will live in urban poor communities, mainly in Africa and Asia,
meaning the focus and investment of immunization services must be tailored to
the specific needs of these communities and children, UNICEF said.