South Africa sounds alarm as infant vaccinations plummet
South Africa is facing a public health emergency as infant vaccination rates have dropped to 36%, the lowest in years. The health department is urging parents to vaccinate their children to prevent outbreaks of measles, rubella, and diphtheria.
Why it matters
The decline in routine immunization poses a significant threat to public health gains and increases the risk of preventable disease outbreaks among children.
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Add as preferred source Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain South Africa's infant vaccination rate has fallen to its lowest level in years, with more than a third of babies receiving no vaccines at the start of 2026, the health department said Thursday.
It called for urgent action to halt the decline in immunization and avert a surge in preventable diseases that would reverse decades of public health gains.
The proportion of unvaccinated children under 1 year old tripled from 12% in 2017 to 36% this year through April, the department said in a statement.
The decline is leaving "hundreds of thousands of infants at risk of life-threatening illnesses," it said.
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