The State of the World’s Children 2023
The world is facing a red alert for children’s health: Routine vaccination coverage dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. UNICEF’s latest report, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination , explores the reasons behind this red alert and the steps we as a global community must take to make sure that no child is…, Their stories are powerful examples of one of humanity’s greatest public health achievements: vaccination, for every child. A health centre. An immunization campaign. A camp for internally displaced people. These are the settings where children like Marwan, Hind and Iman have been immunized for decades. Protected from disease, they’re far more…, How the COVID-19 pandemic set back immunization rates, The pandemic placed unprecedented demands on global health systems. To try and cope with the crisis, a lot of health systems were forced to divert scarce resources away from providing routine care, which includes immunization efforts. The demands that were placed on health workers were extraordinary. As well as being expected to handle a huge…, Even before the pandemic, the warning signs were there, Most zero-dose children live in the poorest and most marginalized parts of the world, where historically primary health care systems have been ill-equipped to reach these children. The health systems operate with limited resources and suffer from a lack of skilled health workers. And for those health workers who do work in these communities, they…, How poverty contributes to low vaccination rates, Poverty has a profound impact on whether a child has access to vaccines. Many of the growing number of zero-dose and under-vaccinated children live in settings where they face significant economic barriers. Globally, in the poorest households, just over 1 in 5 children are zero dose; in the wealthiest, it is 1 in 20. These zero-dose and under-…, Conflict and displacement are having a devastating effect, Instability and violence – the hallmarks of conflict – are significantly hindering children’s opportunities to be immunized. In 2018, 40 per cent of the world’s zero-dose children lived in fragile or conflict-affected settings. Reaching children with health services in these settings is very challenging. Health workers themselves are often…, Vaccine misinformation and mistrust is spreading alarmingly, The decision to vaccinate a child depends in part on trust. A parent or caregiver must have faith in the health care system, vaccine producers and government health institutions. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy was identified as one of the top 10 threats to global health. There are now worrying signs that in many countries…, Women health workers are not being sufficiently empowered, As health workers, women are often on the frontline, administering vaccines to the children that need them most. But in most parts of the world, they’re often low-paid and denied opportunities for training and professional growth. Although women form the bulk of the health workforce, they have long been underrepresented in leadership roles. Part…, Vaccinate every child through effective immunization programmes and catch-up campaigns, Catch-up on the vaccination of children missed during the pandemic. 67 million children missed out entirely or partially on routine immunization during the pandemic. These children are moving past the age when they would normally be vaccinated. Urgent action and tailored immunization campaigns are needed to reach them, backed by sufficient…, Strengthen confidence in vaccination , Engage effectively with communities. It’s essential to build confidence in vaccines. If we’re going to boost global vaccination rates, understanding specific attitudes towards the safety and value of vaccination in any given community is critical. That requires strengthened engagement and leaning on interventions designed and delivered by trusted…, Invest in immunization and health , Invest in primary health care. It is vital to prioritize investment in primary health care. Effective vaccination campaigns depend upon strong and well-resourced health care systems. Funding needs to be prioritized to ensure equitable access, especially for underserved communities. Even in a time of tight budgets, the high returns on investment…, Build resilient health systems , Integrate services. Integrating childhood immunization into strengthened primary health is essential to sustainably reach the goal of vaccinating every child. That means vaccination become a routine part of a child’s upbringing. Improve disease surveillance. Better data collection helps to monitor rates of immunization and track the spread of…, For Every Child, Vaccination T H E S TAT E O F T H E W O R L D S C H I L D R E N 2 0 2 3 Published by UNICEF since 1980, The State of the Worlds Children report seeks to deepen knowledge and raise awareness of key issues affecting children, and advocates for solutions that improve childrens lives. Published by: UNICEF Innocenti Global Office of…
