12.9M Infants Worldwide Did Not Receive Any Routine Immunizations In 2016, U.N. Agencies Report

Newsweek: Global Disease: Nearly 13 Million Infants Were Not Vaccinated In 2016
“New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have found that 12.9 million infants, or nearly one in 10, around the world didn’t receive any vaccinations in 2016. Consequently, these infants missed the first dose of the combined vaccine against diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3), which are potentially deadly diseases…” (Gorman, 7/17).

U.N. News Centre: Health services, especially vaccines, must ‘reach the unreached,’ stress U.N. agencies
“… ‘Every contact with the health system must be seen as an opportunity to immunize,’ stressed WHO’s Director of Immunization, Dr. Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, noting that most of those who remained un-immunized were also the same as the ones missed by health systems. ‘These children most likely have also not received any of the other basic health services. If we are to raise the bar on global immunization coverage, health services must reach the unreached,’ he added…” (7/17).

VOA News: 1 in 10 Babies Received No Vaccinations in 2016
“…Current levels of immunization prevent two million to three million deaths worldwide every year from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and measles, according to WHO, which called routine vaccinations ‘one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions’ that can be carried out…” (7/17).

Xinhua News: U.N. agencies report 1 out of 10 infants not vaccinated in 2016
“…U.N. statistics also show that since 2010, the percentage of children who received their full course of routine immunizations has stalled at 86 percent, with no significant changes in any countries or regions during the past year…” (7/17).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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