WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with Immunization Agenda 2030 and many other global and national health partners has joined forces to call for “The Big Catch-up”.
Key points
- It is a targeted global effort to boost vaccination among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- This effort aims to reverse the declines in childhood vaccination recorded in over 100 countries since the pandemic, due to overburdened health services, closed clinics, and disrupted imports and exports of vials, syringes and other medical supplies.
- Meanwhile, communities and families experienced lockdowns, restricting travel and access to services, and financial and human resources were limited along with access to health commodities, due to the emergency response. Ongoing challenges like conflicts, climate crises and vaccine hesitancy also contributed to the decline in coverage rates.
- With over 25 million children missing at least one vaccination in 2021 alone, outbreaks of preventable diseases, including measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever are already becoming more prevalent and severe. The Big Catch-up aims to protect populations from vaccine-preventable outbreaks, save children’s lives and strengthen national health systems.
- The Big Catch-up will have a particular focus on the 20 countries where three quarters of the children who missed vaccinations in 2021 live*.
