The world is facing a red alert for children’s health: Routine vaccination coverage dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions more children unprotected against some of childhood’s most serious diseases. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a disaster for childhood immunization. In just three years, the world has lost more than a decade of progress.

We are now witnessing the reemergence of preventable diseases like cholera, measles and polio, which for decades we’ve fought tirelessly to eliminate. Children from impoverished and marginalized communities across the world are being disproportionately impacted.  UNICEF’s latest report, The State of the World’s Children 2023: For every child, vaccination, explores the reasons behind this red alert and the steps we as a global community must take to make sure that no child is left behind.