WHO urges renewed push to reach unvaccinated children despite high immunisation coverage in South-East Asia
The WHO is calling for renewed efforts to vaccinate children in South-East Asia, noting that 1.2 million children missed their first routine vaccine in 2025. Despite the region having high overall immunization coverage, the organization emphasizes the need to reach underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
Why it matters
Addressing gaps in childhood immunization is critical for preventing the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases and ensuring global health equity.
New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday called for renewed efforts to ensure every child in the South-East Asia Region receives life-saving vaccines, despite the region maintaining high routine immunisation coverage in 2025, an official release from the organisation said.According to the latest WHO and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2025, nearly 1.2 million children in the region did not receive their first routine vaccine in 2025, while around 600,000 children remained only partially vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases.The WHO South-East Asia Region remained the highest-performing among the six WHO regions in routine childhood immunisation.
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