Health
WHO, UNICEF warn funding gap could reverse immunisation gains in poorer countries
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have warned that funding shortfalls could reverse recent gains in routine immunisation across lower-income countries despite record vaccination coverage achieved in 2025.
The warning is contained in the latest WHO and UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC), analysed by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
According to the report, lower-income countries immunised a record 73 million children with Gavi-supported vaccines in 2025, the highest number ever recorded.
It said three-fourths of all countries maintained or improved coverage with the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine in 2025, the highest proportion in more than two decades.
It added that two-thirds of countries have a DTP3 coverage rate of 80 per cent or higher.
Average coverage across Gavi-supported vaccines, referred to as the “breadth of protection”, reached 65 per cent in 2025, matching the global average for the first time.
According to the report, this represents a 16-percentage-point increase since 2019, driven largely by the introduction and expansion of new vaccines.
Progress in fragile settings
The report also highlighted improvements in countries affected by fragility and conflict.
Average DTP3 coverage across the 12 countries classified as fragile or conflict-affected increased by five percentage points to 66 per cent in 2025.
Sudan recorded the world’s largest improvement, with DTP3 coverage rising by 32 percentage points.
Despite the progress, the report noted that these countries have yet to recover to pre-pandemic immunisation levels.
It added that one-quarter of all zero-dose children in lower-income countries live in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
HPV and malaria vaccines
The report highlighted progress in efforts to prevent cervical cancer and malaria through vaccination.
According to the findings, lower income countries have now protected 95 million girls with the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, including 79 million in the past three years alone. This exceeded Gavi’s target of protecting 86 million girls by the end of 2025.
The report said HPV vaccine coverage now stands at 29 per cent, close to the global average of 31 per cent.
It also noted that malaria vaccines are now being delivered through routine immunisation programmes in 25 African countries, representing more than 70 per cent of the world’s malaria burden.
Although WUENIC does not yet include malaria vaccine data, the report said countries are already reporting reductions in severe malaria cases, deaths and hospitalisations.
It cited Ghana, where under-five malaria deaths fell by 86 per cent between 2019 and 2024, and Burkina Faso, which reported a 32 per cent decline in malaria cases between 2024 and 2025 following nationwide expansion of the malaria vaccine programme.
Measles immunity gaps
Despite the gains, the report warned that immunity gaps for measles remain a significant concern.
Coverage with the first dose of the measles-containing vaccine remained at 80 per cent in lower income countries, while coverage with the second dose increased to 72 per cent in 2025.
However, about 15.6 million children in Gavi-supported countries still missed their first dose of the measles vaccine.
The report warned that the immunity gaps remain a significant concern because of the high transmissibility of the virus and the risk of serious outbreaks.
Funding concerns
Despite the progress recorded in 2025, Gavi warned that sustaining the gains will require continued investment.
The report noted that 2025 was the last fully funded year of Gavi’s current strategic period.
However, it stated that Gavi’s next strategic period, covering 2026 to 2030, is not yet fully funded, putting progress at risk.
According to the report, reduced financing could affect investments in key areas, including malaria vaccine programmes, the introduction of hexavalent and multivalent meningitis vaccines, preventive vaccination campaigns and global vaccine stockpiles.
The report also identified fiscal pressures, geopolitical instability, disease outbreaks, rising birth cohorts and vaccine hesitancy as challenges that are making progress more difficult.
Although the number of zero-dose children declined in 2025, about 9.5 million children in lower income countries still had not received a single vaccine dose.
The report stressed that reaching these children, many of whom live in underserved communities, remains critical to saving lives, promoting equity and strengthening global health security.
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Sustained investment
The Chief Executive Officer of Gavi, Sania Nishtar, said the record level of immunisation demonstrates what can be achieved when governments and partners work towards a common goal.
Ms Nishtar said sustaining the progress would require continued commitment as countries face funding constraints, geopolitical uncertainty and increasing disease outbreaks. She added that greater efforts would also be needed to reach children who still do not have access to immunisation.
“The historic levels of immunisation that we are seeing across lower income countries shows what can be achieved when all stakeholders work together towards a shared objective”, she said.
Ms Nishtar noted that as Gavi heads into a new five-year period, its greatest challenge will be maintaining the momentum in the face of funding constraints, geopolitical uncertainty and increasing outbreaks, while working harder to reach children who still do not have access to immunisation.
She called on countries to increase domestic financing for immunisation and urged donors to support Gavi’s 2026–2030 strategic period.
The Yobe State Government has approved the enrolment of state and local government retirees into the Social Equity Programme of its health insurance scheme.
The Executive Secretary of the Yobe State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (YSCHMA), Babagana Tijjani, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Damaturu.
Mr Tijjani said the approval was granted by Governor Mai Mala Buni following a recommendation from the agency.
He said the initiative aims to reduce out-of-pocket healthcare spending among pensioners and improve access to comprehensive, quality healthcare services at YSCHMA-accredited health facilities.
According to him, the approval underscores the state government’s commitment to improving the welfare of retirees by ensuring they continue to access quality healthcare after retirement.
“This approval is another demonstration of the governor’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of residents of the state,” he said.
“By bringing retirees under the social equity programme, the government is ensuring that senior citizens can access quality healthcare without suffering financial hardship.”
The executive secretary further said that the inclusion of retirees in the scheme aligned with the administration’s healthcare reform agenda and the state’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
He also described the development as a significant step in expanding access to healthcare and strengthening social protection.
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Mr Tijjani commended the governor for approving the initiative and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to its effective implementation.
He said the YSCHMA would work closely with pension unions, relevant government institutions and healthcare providers to ensure a transparent enrolment process and seamless access to healthcare services for eligible beneficiaries.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the YSCHMA was established under Yobe State Law No. 7 of 2019 to implement the state’s contributory healthcare scheme and promote equitable, affordable and qualitative healthcare services for residents.
The federal government has launched the National Guidelines for Public Procurement of Food and Related Services.
The framework introduces nutrition standards for food purchased with public funds as part of efforts to reduce unhealthy diets and curb the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in Nigeria.
The guidelines, unveiled on Monday in Abuja at an event themed “Public Procurement of Food: Promoting a Culture of National Wellness Through the Food Value Chain,” are expected to influence food served in public institutions, including schools, hospitals, correctional centres and military establishments, by setting evidence-based standards on nutrition, food safety and quality.
Delivering his keynote address at the launch, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said the initiative marks a shift from viewing public procurement as a routine administrative process to using it as a strategic tool to improve public health and national development.
“When the government demands healthier, safer and more nutritious food, it creates incentives for the entire food system to innovate, improve quality and align with higher public health standards,” he said.
Why it matters
Mr Salako said the government remains the country’s largest institutional purchaser of food, meaning procurement decisions have the potential to influence food production, consumer behaviour and nutrition standards across the food value chain.
According to him, the guidelines establish limits on sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats in foods procured by public institutions while encouraging balanced and nutritious diets.
He said the document complements existing national policies, including the National Guideline for Sodium Reduction, the Trans Fat Regulation and the 2023 National Policy on Food Safety and Quality.
Rising burden of unhealthy diets
Mr Salako noted that unhealthy diets contribute to about 7.2 million deaths globally every year, driven largely by excessive consumption of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats as well as inadequate intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
He revealed that the average Nigerian adult consumes between 3.9 grammes and 4.9 grammes of sodium daily, almost double the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended limit of 2 grammes.
Mr Salako added that increasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has contributed to rising rates of obesity and diabetes, prompting the introduction of the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, while industrial trans fats have also been restricted under Nigeria’s Trans Fatty Acid Regulation.
“These measures are designed to control dietary patterns that fuel the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, placing enormous pressure on health systems, national economies and household incomes,” he said.
Child malnutrition remains a concern
Mr Salako also highlighted the country’s persistent nutrition challenges, noting that malnutrition remains a direct or underlying cause of nearly half of the deaths among children under five years.
He said the Nigeria Mini Demographic and Health Survey found that about four in every 10 Nigerian children under five are stunted, while nearly two million children suffer severe acute malnutrition annually.
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“These are not merely health statistics. They represent profound human capital challenges with significant implications for educational attainment, labour productivity, household prosperity, national competitiveness and sustainable economic growth.”
Implementation key
Mr Salako stressed that the success of the guidelines would depend on effective implementation rather than their launch.
He urged procurement and accounting officers across government institutions to ensure compliance, noting that procurement decisions influence health outcomes, productivity and public confidence in government.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would continue to promote disease prevention through healthier public policies as part of efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
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