India among the eight countries with half of the world's unvaccinated children as of 2023: Lancet study
Emphasising the need for vaccination, The Lancet journal published an analysis of the global estimates of vaccine coverage.
As per the analysis, in 2023, there were 15.7 million children, of which 1.44 million are in India, who did not receive any doses of their diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccines in their first year.
"Despite the monumental efforts of the past 50 years, progress has been far from universal. Large numbers of children remain under- and un-vaccinated," said senior author Dr Jonathan Mosser from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, US.
The study highlights the need for improvement to ensure children get the benefits of lifesaving immunisations. As per the experts, persistent global inequalities, challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the growth of vaccine misinformation and hesitancy have all contributed to faltering immunisation progress.
For the purpose of the analysis, researchers observed data pertaining to 11 vaccine-dose combinations that were recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for children globally.
Why should children get vaccinated?
Our body's immune system is a deciding factor to fight off diseases. It acts as a barrier against various diseases.
" Because a baby’s immune system is not fully developed at birth, babies face a greater risk of becoming infected and getting seriously ill. Vaccines help teach the immune system learn how to defend against germs. Vaccination protects your baby by helping build up their natural defenses," explains Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hence, it is important to vaccinate children. Otherwise, highly contagious diseases such as measles, diphtheria and polio, which were once wiped out in many countries, will find their way back.
Researchers also added that an 'accelerated progress' would be needed to achieve the 2030 target of halving the number of zero-dose children, compared to 2019 levels, with only 18 of 204 countries and territories estimated to have already met this target as of 2023.
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