Children in low-income countries to benefit from 200 million vaccine doses

 A child receives drops of Polio Vaccine in Eastleigh, Nairobi. [Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

At least 200 million vaccine doses have been allocated to lower-income countries to reach children who missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Gavi, the vaccine alliance in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the vaccines aim to cover 50 percent of children in 35 low-income countries.

"Lower-income countries made unprecedented efforts to vaccinate their populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but this emergency response strained their health systems. Now, our priority is twofold: help countries regain lost ground in routine immunisation coverage and build more resilient and equitable vaccination programs for the future," said Thabani Maphosa, MD, Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi. 

The initiative was approved following a board meeting in December 2023. Gavi has already shipped nearly 32 million doses to 13 countries, with 10 million more expected by the end of July. 

Global immunisation coverage data for 2023 shows significant variations across Gavi-implementing countries, with improvements in 22 countries offset by sizeable declines in a smaller number. 

The report also highlights a significant increase in zero-dose children in low-income countries, emphasising the need to reach these under-immunised children.

The gaps in coverage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have led to increased outbreaks across multiple countries, further highlighting the critical need to address immunity gaps. 

WHO-CDC data shows that from December 2022 to November 2023, 51 countries experienced significant or disruptive measles outbreaks, with high coverage levels needed to prevent outbreaks remaining a challenge for many health systems.

Through the initiative, Gavi and its partners aim to help lower-income countries close immunisation gaps, restore coverage to pre-pandemic levels, and save lives