Global childhood vaccination holds steady, yet over 14 million infants remain unvaccinated – WHO, UNICEF
In 2024, 89% of infants globally – about 115 million – received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, and 85% — roughly 109 million – completed all three doses, according to new national immunization coverage data released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. Still, nearly 20 million infants missed at least one dose of DTP-containing vaccine last year. This includes 14.3 million “zero-dose” children who never received a single dose of any vaccine – 4 million more than the 2024 target needed to stay on track with Immunization Agenda 2030 goals.
Published: July 15, 2025.
Gavi secures record number of pledges: now the hard work of immunising the world’s children begins
The Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunisation saw an unprecedented level of donor engagement, with a record number pledging support for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Published: June 26, 2025.
Global call for access to RSV vaccination for all children worldwide
In a joint appeal published in The Lancet, 44 leading scientific and social organisations from across the globe including The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and its partner organisations, are calling on Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to take urgent action to save millions of young lives by protecting them against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Published: June 26, 2025.
https://firsnet.org/global-call-for-access-to-rsv-vaccination-for-all-children-worldwide/
WHO position paper on immunization to protect infants against respiratory syncytial virus disease, May 2025
Published: May 30, 2025.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-wer-10022-193-218
WHO Scientific advisory group issues report on origins of COVID-19
The WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent, international, multidisciplinary experts, today published its report on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. SAGO has advanced the understanding of the origins of COVID-19, but as they say in their report, much of the information needed to evaluate fully all hypotheses has not been provided.
Published: June 27, 2025.
WHO: Vaccinating at every age is key to unlocking the full potential of immunization
The world’s population is rapidly ageing. For the first time in history, adults over 65 now outnumber children under five. By 2030, nearly 1 billion people will be in this age group. Yet, while childhood immunization programmes have saved millions of lives, vaccination of adults remains an overlooked tool—especially in low- and middle-income countries, where efforts have historically focused on reaching children, adolescents, and women of reproductive age.
Published: June 5, 2025.
Millions of children at risk as vaccine uptake stalls
Progress in vaccinating children against a variety of life-threatening diseases has stalled in the past two decades. The situation has been made worse by the Covid pandemic, leaving millions of children unprotected from diseases such as measles, tuberculosis and polio. The researchers are calling for a concerted effort to provide better and more equal access to vaccines.
Published: June 25, 2025.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1ljv2mvr00o
Explore UNICEF’s Global Immunization Budget Database
Published: June 20, 2025.
WHO guidelines for clinical management of arboviral diseases: dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever
The World Health Organization (WHO) has just released the Integrated Guidelines on the Clinical Management of Arboviral Diseases — a crucial step toward strengthening care for the millions of people affected by these viruses each year. Arboviral diseases, primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, pose an increasing threat to global health, particularly in the context of climate change, urbanization, and growing human mobility. With over 5.6 billion people worldwide at risk of arboviral infection, it is essential that healthcare professionals have access to evidence-based recommendations to effectively manage these infections in patients. The new WHO guidelines provide clinical management recommendations for four of the most widespread arboviruses affecting humans: dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever.
Published: July 4, 2025.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240111110
Statement from the American Head and Neck Society in Support of Continued HPV Vaccination
The American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) strongly supports the continued and widespread use of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine as a vital public health measure to prevent HPV-associated cancers, including oropharyngeal cancers—the most rapidly rising HPV-related malignancy in the United States.
Published: July 3, 2025.
WHO position paper on herpes zoster vaccines
This position paper focuses on HZ vaccination, supersedes the 2014 vaccine position paper on varicella and HZ vaccines. It reviews the evidence on the recombinant HZ vaccine and provides recommendations on its use. The paper contains off-label recommendations.
Published: July 4, 2025.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WER10027-28-265-284
Africa CDC
INclusive, Sustainable, Prosperous and REsilient (INSPIRE) Health Systems in Asia and the Pacific Health Forum
Published: July 2, 2025.
Epidemiological Update – Measles in the Americas Region – 1 July 2025
In 2025, between epidemiological week (EW) 1 and EW 24, in the Americas Region, 7,132 measles cases have been confirmed, including 13 deaths, in Argentina (n= 34), Belize (n= 34), the Plurinational State of Bolivia (n= 60), Brazil (n= 5), Canada (n= 3,170, including one death),2 Costa Rica (n= 1 case), Mexico (n= 2,597 cases, including nine deaths), Peru (n= 4 cases), and the United States of America (n= 1,227, including three deaths). According to the information available from confirmed cases, the age group with the highest proportion of cases corresponds to the 10-19 years old group (24%), the 1-4 year old group (22%), and the 20-29 year old group (19%).
PAHO: Pertussis Documents
https://www.paho.org/en/documents/topics/pertussis
WHO: A Global Health Strategy for 2025–2028 advancing equity and resilience in a turbulent world Fourteenth General Programme of Work
https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/380456
Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 7 – 10 July 2025. 11 July 2025. Ixchiq: temporary restriction on vaccinating people 65 years and older to be lifted
EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) has completed its review of Ixchiq, a live attenuated chikungunya vaccine, following reports of serious side effects. The temporary restriction on vaccinating people aged 65 years and above, which was put in place during the review, will now be lifted. However, PRAC concluded that, for people of all ages, the vaccine should only be given when there is a significant risk of chikungunya infection and after a careful consideration of the benefits and risks.
How Gavi support for RSV immunisation will advance health equity
Published: July 12, 2025.
CEPI: New vaccine set for human trials in Nipah outbreak hotspot
A promising vaccine candidate against one of the world’s most deadly viruses, Nipah, is ready for testing in mid-stage human trials in Bangladesh, where people now die almost every year in Nipah disease outbreaks. When the trial launches in early 2026, the vaccine (PHV02)—developed by the U.S.-based biotech company Public Health Vaccines (PHV)—will be among the first Nipah vaccine candidates to reach this stage of testing in people.
Published: July 10, 2025.
https://cepi.net/new-vaccine-set-human-trials-nipah-outbreak-hotspot
Lassa fever reported in Guinea
On June 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) was informed of the laboratory confirmation of a Lassa fever case in Guéckédou prefecture, Nzérékoré region.
Published: July 13, 2025.
https://outbreaknewstoday.substack.com/p/lassa-fever-reported-in-guinea
U.S. measles cases hit highest level in 33 years, CDC reports
The U.S. has reported 1,288 measles cases this year — the highest number in 33 years, according to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last time the U.S. saw more measles cases was in 1992, eight years before the disease was declared eliminated in the country.
Published: July 9, 2025.
Immunization in the Americas shows progress, but over 1.4 million children missed routine vaccines in 2024
Childhood immunization in the Americas has shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2024, but significant gaps remain. According to new data released today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, over 1.4 million children in the Americas did not receive a single dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, marking an increase in so-called “zero-dose” children.
Published: July 15, 2025.
