Countries and their partners have achieved significant progress towards reducing vaccine-preventable deaths in recent years, contributing to the ongoing global decline in under-five mortality. However, critical challenges remain. In 2017, more than 19 million children were not fully vaccinated, and coverage rates varied widely, both among and within countries. Globally, vaccine coverage has stagnated, increasing by only one percentage point since 2010
A ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach is no longer appropriate in this changing world. Diverse contexts are increasingly apparent, and UNICEF and its partners must continue adapting their practices to stay relevant to current needs. The strategies that led to the achievement of 85 percent global immunization coverage will not necessarily be the same strategies that address the stagnation in coverage of the past decade. Approaches to achieving immunization coverage must better address the varied dynamics.
This document describes the shifts that are needed to reach unvaccinated children, including those who are located in remote, rural communities with inadequate services; affected by conflict and insecurity with limited access to services or service delivery breakdowns; and resided in urban slums, which may be disenfranchised and suffer from ‘social distance’ from services rather than geographical distance.
