India crosses pre-Covid child immunisation level: WHO

India has surpassed the pre-pandemic record of childhood immunization coverage, according to numbers released on Tuesday in a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

India recorded 93% DPT3 (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus) coverage in 2022, surpassing the pre-pandemic record of 91% in 2019, and a rapid increase from 85% in 2021, the data show. The vaccine against DPT is used as the global marker for immunization coverage.

“Intensifying Routine Immunization! India recorded 93% DPT3 coverage in 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic all time high of 91% in 2019, & a rapid increase from 85% recorded in 2021. We are leaving no one behind,” health minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted after the release of global report.

The data show promising signs of immunization services rebounding in some countries, particularly in low-income countries. “Every child deserves to be protected against life threatening diseases with routine immunization vaccines. The momentum build with impressive efforts and immunization service recoveries must continue to benefit every child for a healthy and productive life,” Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO South-East Asia, said in a statement.

In South-East Asia, the number of zero dose children, those that have not received the first dose of DPT vaccine, halved from 4.6 million in 2021 to 2.3 million in 2022. Similarly, the number of partially vaccinated children, those that had received at least one dose of DPT vaccine but did not complete the primary series of three doses, reduced from 1.3 million in 2021 to 650,000 in 2022, a 50% decline.

The region had the best immunization recoveries among all WHO regions that can be majorly attributed to efforts being made by India and Indonesia, the regional director said.

Global immunization services have reached four million more children in 2022 compared to the previous year, as countries stepped up efforts to address the historic backsliding in immunization caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That aside, the report said overall coverage still falls short of pre-pandemic levels, putting children at grave risk from disease outbreaks.

“These data are encouraging, and a tribute to those who have worked so hard to restore life-saving immunization services after two years of sustained decline in immunization coverage,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “But global and regional averages don’t tell the whole story and mask severe and persistent inequities. When countries and regions lag, children pay the price.”

In 2022, 20.5 million children missed out on one or more vaccines delivered through routine immunization services, compared to 24.4 million children in 2021. In spite of this improvement, the number remains higher than the 18.4 million children who missed out in 2019 before pandemic-related disruptions, underscoring the need for ongoing catch-up, recovery and system strengthening efforts.

Of the 73 countries that recorded substantial declines in coverage during the pandemic, 15 recovered to pre-pandemic levels, 24 are en route to recovery and 34 have stagnated or continued declining, the report said.

“These concerning trends echo patterns seen in other health metrics,” it said. “Countries must ensure they are accelerating catch-up, recovery, and strengthening efforts, to reach every child with the vaccines they need and - because routine immunization is a fundamental pillar of primary healthcare - take the opportunity to make progress in other, related health sectors.”