UN warns of global immunisation cracks
Analysis based on 18 articles · First reported Jul 15, 2026 · Last updated Jul 16, 2026
The report highlights risks to global health security, potentially affecting vaccine manufacturers and healthcare providers. Funding cuts may reduce demand for vaccines in low-income countries, impacting companies like Gavi-supported suppliers.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF published data on global infant vaccination levels for 2025, showing slight improvement but warning that funding cuts, conflicts, and misinformation are deepening coverage gaps and causing outbreaks to surge. In 2025, 90% of infants received at least one DTP dose, and 85% completed the three-dose series, both up one percentage point from 2024 but still below 2019 levels. An estimated 13.5 million zero-dose children received no shots in their first year. Measles coverage stalled at 84% for the first dose and 77% for the second, far below the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. The UN agencies reported unprecedented numbers of outbreaks in 2025, including measles, diphtheria, and cholera. They attributed the situation partly to US aid cuts under President Donald Trump and other countries, warning that the full impact is yet to be seen. Surveillance systems have been considerably impacted, with only 18 national immunisation surveys submitted for 2025, down from 50 in 2024. GAVI reported record coverage in 57 low-income countries but warned that dwindling funding could cost 600,000 lives.
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