Study Shows Return of Preventable Childhood Diseases

A new global study has sounded the alarm over a resurgence of previously controlled childhood diseases, revealing that immunization coverage has stalled or even reversed in many countries. According to the analysis, vaccination rates for key diseases—such as measles, polio, diphtheria, and whooping cough—have declined since 2010 in a number of nations, putting millions more children at risk.
The study, published in The Lancet, indicates that although childhood vaccination coverage once doubled between 1980 and 2019, progress has slowed sharply.
HealthDataThe number of zero-dose children—those who have never received any routine vaccine—is climbing again, reversing gains made in previous decades.
Health agencies are particularly worried about measles, which has seen a dramatic uptick in outbreaks. In 2023, there were an estimated 10.3 million measles cases, a 20% increase from 2022, according to WHO.
World Health Organization
The resurgence is being driven in part by gaps in routine immunization, funding constraints, and rising vaccine hesitancy.
Authorities are calling for urgent action to close these immunity gaps. The WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance) warn that without renewed investment in immunization campaigns, disease surveillance, and outreach—especially in conflict-affected and low-resource countries—the world risks backsliding on decades of progress.