Report | Zero Dose/Under Immunization Brief

September 2022

includes polio and other immunizations

According to the WHO/UNICEF 2021 global estimate, more than 18 million children are zero-dose. Almost all zero-dose children live in low- and middle-income countries, especially in the African and South-East Asian regions. Ethiopia is the fourth leading contributor to the global total number of zero-dose children. Nearly half of these missed children live in hard-to-reach/remote, conflict-affected, and under-served areas. Most importantly, there are substantial variations among and within regions in relation to vaccine access, utilization, quality, and equity problems, which continue to be persistent challenges.