10 Facts about Vaccination
Vaccination gained renewed global attention during the COVID-19 pandemic, but for decades it has been transforming the lives of children and communities – especially in the world’s toughest places. Today, more than 20 vaccines are available to protect children from preventable diseases.
Want to learn more? Here are 10 key facts about immunisation:
- Vaccines save and improve millions of lives every year
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccines prevent between 3.5 and 5 million deaths each year from preventable diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and measles. Expanding access to vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to help children survive and thrive.
That’s why vaccination is a core part of World Vision's child sponsorship, providing simple, cost-effective protection for children to survive those early years and live longer, healthier lives as adults.
2) Vaccines bring economic, social, and health benefits
Healthier kids are more likely to attend school, learn effectively, and build better futures. Healthier adults are more productive, spending more within the local economy and less on healthcare. There are social benefits too, especially for women, who are often the caregivers when family members are sick.
Immunisation also supports gender equality. By reducing the burden of caregiving, it frees up time and opportunities for women. At the same time, gender equality is a driver of immunisation – when women are educated and empowered, their children are more likely to be vaccinated – creating a powerful cycle of impact.
3) Vaccine hesitancy is not new
While the COVID-19 pandemic brought vaccine hesitancy into the spotlight, it’s not a new conversation. Concerns and misinformation about vaccines have existed for decades and contribute to the number of under-vaccinated people around the world.
Building trust and providing clear, accurate information remain essential to helping families make informed decisions about immunisation.
4) Immunisation systems are still recovering
COVID-19 disrupted essential health services worldwide, including routine childhood vaccinations, which is among the top global threats to public health. In 2021 alone, an estimated 25 million children missed routine immunisation for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (WHO, UNICEF).
Countries are working hard to catch up missed children and strengthen systems, but gaps remain. Rebuilding and strengthening immunisation systems is critical to preventing future outbreaks.
5) Diseases like polio are at risk of returning
Global efforts have drastically reduced polio cases – from 350,000 annually in 1998 to just 33 in 2018 – thanks to vaccination. As a result, an estimated 18 million people can walk today who might otherwise have been paralysed.
Recent global disruptions slowed progress and contributed to renewed polio outbreaks, highlighting the need to sustain eradication efforts.
6) There’s nothing equal about vaccine distribution
Despite the proven benefits of vaccines, access is still deeply unequal, and millions of children still miss out due to unequal access to healthcare, funding, and infrastructure.
Closing this gap is essential to protecting global health and preventing avoidable deaths. This is why vaccine coverage is a standard for sponsored children.
7) The most vulnerable are hardest hit
Children living in poverty or fragile settings face the greatest barriers to vaccination – many receiving no vaccinations at all (referred to as zero-dose children) – and the highest risks from preventable diseases and poor health, like the loss of income or the high costs of unsubsidised medication.
Ensuring equitable access to vaccines is a critical way that child sponsors are helping to even the score. Alongside support to improve nutrition, education, water and sanitation, life skills, and other essential services, helping children become healthier is a catalyst to break the cycle of poverty and support long-term wellbeing.
8) Vaccination isn’t the only health solution children need
Vaccines are most effective when combined with other health and nutrition interventions. Undernutrition contributes to nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 and can weaken immune responses and reduce vaccine effectiveness. When malnourished children get sick, they face a higher risk of infection because their bodies aren’t working at full strength, or their bodies are too weak to activate the immune response offered by vaccines.
That’s why integrated, holistic solutions are key to improving child health outcomes – and that’s exactly what World Vision’s immunisation programming and child sponsorship model does.
9) Conflict and instability make vaccination harder
Children living in countries affected by conflict and instability are among the least likely to be vaccinated. Damaged health systems, insecurity, and limited resources all contribute to low vaccination coverage rates. This makes outbreaks of disease more common and harder to contain, making children even more vulnerable in the places that are least equipped to cope.
Protecting children’s long-term health through vaccination and other interventions is just one of the many flow-on effects of child sponsorship’s work to strengthen community cohesion to prevent conflict. World Vision is also at work in many fragile contexts and active conflict zones, helping children survive the immediate threats as well as the longer-term ones using tools like vaccines.
10) Vaccination is an investment in global well-being
Vaccines are one of the most cost-effective health interventions. They protect individuals and communities while support economic growth and development.
Immunisation contributes to 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, making it a cornerstone of global progress. Together, we are helping children thrive, and giving whole communities the chance to unlock a healthier future.
A healthier future for every child
Imagine a world where every child has the chance to grow up healthy. Expanding access to vaccines – alongside good nutrition, clean water, and strong health systems – can help make that vision a reality.