Vaccines and vaccination programmes are vital for global health security. One of the most impactful medical advancements in history, they save millions of lives every year and keep in check infectious diseases that have the potential to sweep the planet.
The global vaccine ecosystem has progressed tremendously in the past 30 years. We have more vaccines, more ways to make and more ways to administer vaccines, and more countries giving more kinds of vaccines to more children and adults than ever before. But not all the statistics have improved in 30 years.
In 1990 20% of the world’s children did not receive the basic six vaccines recommended by the EPI. In 2020 the statistics were disappointingly similar, with 17% of children not receiving the basic six recommended vaccines. According to UNICEF in 2020, there were around 17 million so-called zero-dose children who received no vaccines at all.
About 94% of all infectious disease deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Of those, 46% might have been prevented with existing vaccines, but more than half were from diseases we have yet to develop effective vaccines for.
There are many reasons why some of those most in need of vaccines are not receiving them; access, conflict, culture, funding, hesitancy, logistical issues, and remote locations to name just a few. But if the world agrees that 17 million zero-dose children is not acceptable, we have to take action today to make sure the statistics are very different by 2030.
Having reviewed the literature, studied the data and interviewed many thought leaders from the global vaccine ecosystem, this white paper attempts to assess the current situation and chart a course towards an equitable future.
Download the paper today and be a part of the conversation to build a better vaccine future.
