The findings are detailed for the first time Analysis The list of vaccination targets in Africa published on Wednesday by the World Health Organization (Who) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
It also documents progress and challenges in expanding vaccination coverage against a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases, as well as ongoing efforts to achieve the goals under the global strategy. 2030 vaccination agenda.
Measles deaths halved
The analysis covers the years 2000 to 2024, which showed an increase in vaccination coverage in Africa as 44 countries introduced second doses of measles-containing vaccine into routine programmes.
Coverage rates increased from five percent to 55 percent during this period While supplementary vaccination campaigns resulted in 622 million vaccinations.
Together, These efforts have halved measles deaths in the African region And total cases declined by 40 percent.
Additionally, nine countries recorded persistently low measles incidence rates in 2023 and 2024 Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles were verified to eliminate measles and rubella by 2025 -The first sub-Saharan African country to achieve this feat.
Remarkable but uneven progress
“Africa has made remarkable progress in less than a generation, expanding vaccinations and saving millions of young lives,” Said Dr. Mohammed Janabi, WHO Regional Director.
“But progress is uneven, and even slow, leaving too many children vulnerable as key targets are still missed. We must urgently strengthen routine immunization so that no child is left behind.”
Routine programs currently protect against 13 vaccine-preventable diseases, compared with eight in 2000.
Since then, Meningitis deaths have declined by nearly 40 percentMalaria vaccine has been introduced in 25 countries, and At least 1.9 million lives saved through vaccination in 2024 alone– About 42 percent due to measles vaccination.
‘There is still more work to do’
The 2030 Agenda envisions a world where all people can fully benefit from vaccines. It aims for 90 per cent coverage across four key life stages to protect against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), measles and human papillomavirus (HPV).
Despite the progress made to date, As far as reaching the 90 percent target is concerned, Africa is still far off the track Because vaccination coverage is uneven and many children are still left out.
WHO and Gavi call for continued investment and strong political commitment to sustain the gains and protect future generations.
They are also working with governments to broaden vaccination coverage, including accelerating and scaling up the rollout of new vaccines such as malaria and HPV.
Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, said the new analysis “demonstrates the immense life-saving power of vaccines when vaccination is prioritized as a matter of policy.”
“At the same time, We must acknowledge that these vaccination results reflect very different realities, and we still have more work to do To ensure that we are able to consistently reach children, even in the most fragile and remote contexts,” she said.
