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More than 22 million children not fully vaccinated with DTP worldwide
Approximately 83% of children worldwide received at least three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine in 2011, according to data in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
One goal of the Global Immunization Vision and Strategy, established by WHO and UNICEF in 2005, was to reach 90% coverage with the three doses of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in all countries. Among 194 WHO member states, 130 reached 90% coverage or more. Most of the 22.4 million children who did not receive three doses lived in India, Nigeria or Indonesia. Of these, nearly 14 million did not receive the first dose.
Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele
WHO established the Expanded Programme on Immunization in 1974 to make sure children had access to four routinely recommended vaccines: bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, DTP vaccine, oral poliovirus vaccine and measles-containing vaccine. From 1974 to 2005, global coverage with the third dose of DTP vaccine increased from less than 5% to 79%. The Global Immunization Vision and Strategy was established to improve this number even more.
In 2011, 106.8 million children were fully vaccinated with the three doses of DTP vaccine. Among children aged younger than 12 months, the estimated global coverage was 83%, ranging from 71% in the African region to 96% in the Western-Pacific region.
Global coverage rates for the other three vaccines included in the Expanded Programme on Immunization are as follows: bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine, 88%; oral poliovirus vaccine, 84%; and measles-containing vaccine, 84%.
For newer vaccines introduced to the immunization schedule since the 1974 program was initiated, worldwide coverage rates are as follows: 75% for three doses of hepatitis B vaccine; 43% for three doses of Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine; 9% for rotavirus vaccine and 12% for pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
In May, WHO endorsed the Global Vaccine Action Plan to prevent millions of deaths by 2020 by enabling more access to vaccines for people in all communities.
“An accessible and well-functioning immunization program should be a key component of public health services in every country,” Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, MD, MPH, director of WHO’s department of immunization, vaccines and biological, said in a press release. “By supporting countries to strengthen their health systems through the implementation of the new Global Vaccine Action Plan, we can increase global access to vaccines and make an impact on the lives of millions of people.”