26 Jun 2025 • Despite decades of progress, India remains among eight countries responsible for over half of the world’s 15.7 million zero-dose children in 2023—infants missing even the first DTP1 vaccine.

The Global Burden of Disease 2023 study shows global vaccine coverage nearly doubled since 1980 but stalled after COVID-19, with zero-dose numbers peaking at 18.6 million in 2021.

While newer vaccines like PCV3 and MCV2 are expanding, only DTP3 is on track to reach the WHO’s 90% coverage target by 2030, and that too under best-case scenarios.

The report calls for urgent action to restore and scale up immunization in India.

Source: The Lancet | Read Full Story