The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) has warned that more than 14 million infants globally did not receive a single vaccine last year, exposing them to life-threatening but preventable diseases, as it calls for urgent action during World Immunization Week.

‎The agency made this known in a statement noting how declining global health funding and growing vaccine hesitancy risk reversing decades of progress, potentially triggering new outbreaks of diseases like measles and polio.

Vaccines currently prevent between 3.5 and 5 million deaths each year, making them one of the most effective public health interventions.

‎For many families, immunization is not just protection—it is an entry point into healthcare. A child’s first vaccine often connects them to essential services such as nutrition counselling and growth monitoring, particularly in underserved communities.

‎The human impact is stark. In fragile and conflict-affected regions—where over half of unvaccinated children live—limited access to healthcare leaves families vulnerable. When vaccination rates fall, diseases return quickly; recent surges in measles cases in parts of the world highlight how fragile these gains are.

‎Yet history shows what is possible. Immunization has reduced global infant deaths by 40 percent over the past 50 years and saved an estimated 154 million lives since 1974. Diseases like smallpox have been eradicated, while polio cases have dropped by 99 percent, sparing millions from paralysis.

‎Vaccines now protect against more than 30 diseases, including pneumonia and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can prevent up to 90 percent of cervical cancer cases. Despite this, access remains unequal, with children in low-income countries still missing out on life-saving protection.

‎Health experts stress that vaccines are safe, rigorously tested, and continuously monitored, with serious side effects remaining rare.

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