África González-Fernández
Professor of Immunology at the University of Vigo, researcher at the Galicia Sur Research Institute (IIS-GS) and member of the RAFG
The report comes from a reliable institution, the World Health Organisation (WHO), which analyses the coverage of various paediatric vaccines in 2024 (such as diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, measles, yellow fever, polio, etc.) and compares it with previous years. It is based on data obtained from the various member states of the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, up to June 2025. The data provided for 2024 is compared with that of previous years (up to 2000), thus covering a total of 24 years of study (page 25).
This provides a snapshot of the evolution of vaccination coverage worldwide and identifies whether there have been improvements or setbacks in ensuring that all children are protected against the most serious infections. It also analyses data in relation to income factors in different countries and conflicts, which may influence the higher prevalence of unvaccinated children.
Furthermore, it helps to highlight whether the targets set for the coming years (specifically 2030) are achievable or what problems have arisen in reducing the number of unvaccinated children.
It is interesting to see how all the progress made between 2000 and 2019 was reversed during the pandemic in 2020.
Even four years after the pandemic, the good vaccination coverage figures achieved in 2019 have not been reached.
How does this fit in with previous work? What new information does it provide?
"It is a study from 2024, but it compares with previous data from 2000, providing interesting information on the evolution of vaccination worldwide.
It also shows the efforts made by institutions such as Gavi to enable certain countries to vaccinate children who were not vaccinated at the recommended ages, so that they can do so and increase protection for as many children as possible.
The data on measles is very interesting. In the last five years, 80 countries have experienced measles outbreaks, which are associated with low vaccination coverage (page 20).
New vaccines have been introduced, such as conjugate vaccines for pneumococcus, rotavirus and papilloma. With regard to the human papilloma virus vaccine, a global increase has been observed, mainly due to the large number of countries (64) that introduced vaccination in 2024 (page 29).
Are there any important limitations to bear in mind?
‘This is a very well-conducted study of vaccination coverage, from the most reliable institution, which we should take as a reference.
It would be good to include the decline in infections covered by these vaccines in different countries, as it only includes countries with measles outbreaks. This would be another much more complex study, especially to obtain data from countries with poor health coverage and monitoring of children.’
How relevant is it for practice/clinical practice in Spain?
"Spain is one of the leading countries in childhood vaccination and also has good figures for older adults. It is essential to know the global vaccination coverage, as many pathogens require very high levels (such as measles) to avoid the risk of outbreaks.
We must understand that we are talking about global health and that what happens in other countries can ultimately affect us. It is also essential to know what possible pathogens we may encounter if we travel to certain countries for work or leisure, and that we should be vaccinated against prevalent diseases (such as yellow fever, dengue, hepatitis A, etc.).
People who want to travel should find out which vaccinations they need depending on their trip, their health, age, pregnancy, etc., and go to foreign health vaccination centres to get vaccinated in advance (2-3 months) before travelling. I recommend that travellers consult the website of the Ministry of Health and that of the international vaccination centres of the Foreign Health Service.