Belgium to tackle global backsliding on childhood vaccination

The COVID pandemic has severely disrupted the routine vaccination of children for diseases such as measles, tetanus, and whooping cough. That is true around the world, but especially in the poorest countries. Between 2019 and 2021, the routine vaccination coverage among children fell to 81% - the biggest decline in the last 30 years. 25 million children missed one or more doses of the tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough vaccine (DTP3) in 2021. That is 2 million more than in 2020 and 6 million more than in 2019.

Newborns and young children who are not vaccinated are much more likely to die before the age of five. We’ve made great progress over the past few decades, but now infant mortality rates could rise again for the first time. Just last week, the UN announced that without additional efforts to improve healthcare services worldwide, nearly 59 million children and adolescents could die by 2030 - many from diseases that are curable or preventable.

"It is fundamentally unfair that some children do not get basic vaccinations, just because they happen to be born in a poor country, and are therefore more likely to get sick and die. This is tragic because many of these diseases - tetanus, measles, whooping cough - are completely preventable. Good health is the foundation for getting ahead in life. And with vaccination, you give children the best possible start," said Minister Gennez.

With Belgium's financial support, the GAVI Vaccine Alliance will assist low-income countries in purchasing life-saving vaccines. Through the collaboration between governments, NGOs, the medical sector and the World Bank, the alliance can serve as a guarantor for the vaccine payments, and the number of doses to be delivered. That is how it can negotiate a lower price with producers on the international market.

The organization targets communities with low vaccination coverage and "zero-dose children", or children who have not yet received any vaccine dose. Over the past 20 years, Gavi has helped immunize more than 981 million children and prevent more than 16 million deaths.

"Routine vaccinations have a huge impact," Minister Gennez added. "Not only on children's health in the first years of life, but also on the rest of their lives. Vaccinated children do better in school, which leads to better jobs, and more economic growth. At the same time, outbreaks of new epidemics are avoided in vulnerable areas where healthcare is already under severe pressure, or virtually non-existent." 

Vaccination is also still one of the most cost-effective ways to promote progress. Gavi estimates that for every euro we invest in vaccinating children, 27 euro is generated.

“We are very grateful for the positive role Belgium plays in global health and immunization. Having provided over €14 million in funding and 11 million vaccine doses to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment during the pandemic, this new commitment to Gavi’s core programs will help us to reduce the number of zero-dose children in the world and reduce the number of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases such as HPV, measles, cholera and rotavirus.” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Founded in 2000, the Gavi Alliance is composed of governments of developing and donor countries, including Belgium, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society organizations, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners.

In addition to routine vaccinations, Gavi provides vaccines against polio and distributes the HPV vaccine. The alliance is also pushing for the inclusion of the COVID vaccine in routine vaccination.