Africa's routine immunization coverage of 80% lowest in the world- Report

A World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean Region report shows Africa's routine immunization coverage of 80 percent is the lowest of any region in the world. 

This is because despite considerable progress in expanding access to vaccines in Africa, one in five children on the continent still do not receive life-saving immunization. 

In a statement, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti,said it is unacceptable that one in five African children lack access to lifesaving vaccines, adding that the report is an urgent wake-up call to Africans of all walks of life and at every level. 

The report is the first to summarize immunization progress and challenges across the continent since global leaders declared the Decade of Vaccines and launched the 2011-2020 Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). 


GBC