According to published data, immunizing children with the vaccine’s first dose to protect them against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis or whooping cough (DPT) attained 90% in the region compared to 86% in 2021.

The vaccination rate with the third dose of DPT also rose to 83% compared to 81% the previous year, according to the briefing by WHO and UNICEF.

The rest of vaccines fighting against diseases such as polio, human papillomavirus and rotavirus, improved their coverage but the first dose of measles vaccine, which dropped from 85% in 2021 to 84% in 2022.

Notwithstanding the countries managed to reduce the number of children who did not receive a single dose of vaccine to pre-pandemic levels (1.3 million), this figure is still high, leaving one in 10 children in the region unprotected against a range of dangerous diseases.

Meanwhile, 2.3 million infants did not complete their vaccination schedule, although the number is the lowest since 2019.

Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization deemed the rates are not at an optimal level although coverage has improved.

Of the 73 countries that recorded substantial declines (of 5% points or more in 2020 and 2021 compared to 2019) in coverage during the pandemic, 15 regained pre-Covid-19 levels, 24 are on the road to recovery and, most worryingly, 34 have stagnated or continued to decline, the agencies noted.

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