India among top 8 nations with most unvaccinated children: Lancet Report

Guwahati, July 27: A new international study published in The Lancet has raised serious concerns over the slowing progress in childhood vaccinations across the world.

The report says India is one of eight countries where more than half of the world’s 15.7 million ‘zero-dose’ children live, these are the children who have not received even the first dose of the basic DTP vaccine {for diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough)}.

The study looked at data from 1980 to 2023. It found that although vaccination coverage for diseases like measles, polio, TB, and DTP improved globally over the last 40 years, progress slowed between 2010 and 2019. Things got worse after the Covid-19 pandemic, with vaccination rates falling in many countries and not returning to the pre-pandemic levels by 2023.

Importantly, the paper features a contribution from Associate Professor of Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, Hemen Sarma.

Vaccines introduced more recently, such as those for pneumonia (PCV3), rotavirus, and a second dose of the measles vaccine, continued to expand but at a much slower pace. The study warns that by 2030, only the third dose of the DTP vaccine is likely to meet the global target of 90% coverage, and that too only under the best conditions.

India, along with countries like Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Brazil, accounts for over half of the world’s zero-dose children. Many of these children are in conflict zones or remote areas with poor access to health services. The study stresses the need for urgent action-stronger healthcare systems, better communication to fight vaccine misinformation, and focused efforts to reach vulnerable groups.

- By Staff Reporter