WHO, UNICEF raise alarm over Nigeria, Africa's missed vaccination targets
WHO and UNICEF report that childhood immunization rates in Africa remain below pre-pandemic levels, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases. Conflict, poverty, and vaccine hesitancy are cited as primary barriers to achieving global vaccination targets.
Why it matters
The stagnation in vaccination coverage poses a significant threat to public health stability and child mortality rates in the region.
Add as a preferred source The World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF have raised fresh concerns over childhood immunisation in Nigeria and across Africa, warning that the region remains off track to recover from pandemic-era setbacks, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
The warning comes as the latest WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) show that while global vaccination rates improved modestly in 2025, Africa continues to lag behind pre-COVID-19 levels, with conflict, weak health systems, poverty and vaccine hesitancy slowing progress.
The report is particularly significant for Nigeria, which has consistently ranked among the countries with the highest number of “zero-dose” children—those who receive no routine vaccines during their first year of life.
Despite ongoing efforts by the government and development partners to expand immunisation, many Nigerian children, especially in conflict-affected and underserved communities, remain beyond the reach of essential vaccination services.
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