WIW 2025: UNICEF Urges Greater Government Funding for Vaccines to Save Lives

 By Efa Sunday 

As the world marks the 2025 World Immunization Week (WIW), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has called on governments at all levels to significantly increase funding for vaccines to reduce vaccine-preventable deaths (VPDs) and consolidate the hard-won gains achieved over the past five decades.

World Immunization Week, celebrated annually in the last week of April, aims to promote the life-saving power of immunization in protecting people of all ages from VPDs.

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"The 2025 WIW theme, 'Immunization for All is Humanly Possible,' reaffirms the feasibility and necessity of protecting everyone, from newborns to the elderly, against vaccine-preventable diseases through inclusive and equitable immunization services," said Mrs. Juliet Chiluwe, Chief of UNICEF's Enugu Field Office.

Speaking during her opening remarks at a two-day multi-zonal media dialogue on Thursday, Mrs. Chiluwe reaffirmed UNICEF's commitment to partnering with various stakeholders, including the media, to conduct strong advocacy. She emphasized the need to strengthen communication and social mobilization strategies to ensure that more vulnerable groups are vaccinated.

According to her, "UNICEF will also carry out logistics and cold chain supports, strengthen infrastructures such as the establishment of oxygen gas plants, as well as carry out routine immunization supports."

She commended the contributions of state governments in Nigeria in complementing UNICEF’s efforts, urging them to sustain and build on the progress made by continuing to allocate budgets for immunization, to save more lives, especially those of children.

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Meanwhile, in his 2025 message, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited "global funding cuts and the recent increase in outbreaks of VPDs" as major challenges facing global healthcare. He urged "countries with limited resources to invest more in the highest-impact interventions, and that includes vaccines."

Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized that adequate vaccine funding would enable healthcare providers to respond swiftly to outbreaks, noting that vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years.

Since 1974, vaccines have reportedly saved over 154 million lives—equivalent to more than 3 million lives annually or six people every minute for five decades. Health experts also highlight that vaccination has reduced infant deaths by 40 percent, with more children surviving their first birthday than at any other time in history.

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However, despite these impressive gains, troubling reports persist. A 2023 estimate revealed that a staggering 14.5 million children worldwide did not receive even a single vaccine dose that year. WHO also reported that 138 countries have recorded measles outbreaks since 2021—the highest number since the COVID-19 pandemic—with 61 countries experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks.

These sobering statistics underscore the persistent challenges in global immunization systems. Addressing these issues formed the crux of discussions at the two-day multi-zonal media dialogue.

UNICEF Health Specialist at the Enugu Field Office, Dr. Ifeyinwa Anyanyo, speaking on vaccine accessibility for vulnerable groups in Nigeria, identified "physical, economic, informational, and cultural barriers" as major hindrances to achieving universal vaccination.

She elaborated: "The proximity of the primary health centres to rural dwellers has been a major challenge. Sometimes, villagers must pay huge transportation costs just to access healthcare.

"When we talk about economic barriers, we are asking: are the vaccines truly free at the PHCs? Are they affordable? Regarding information, is the public aware that these services are free? Are the locations safe and accessible, especially in insurgent-prone areas? And are the right messages being disseminated to dispel myths?

"Then, cultural barriers include language differences, citizen-government trust issues, and general trust in the healthcare system."

Dr. Ifeyinwa also outlined UNICEF’s strategies for achieving immunization milestones, including "targeting community health centres to reach underserved areas, conducting routine health education campaigns, using technology to track service delivery effectiveness, and deploying solar-powered refrigerators to maintain vaccine potency."

She urged all stakeholders to intensify efforts to reduce deaths from VPDs annually and called on governments to strengthen rural health facilities, making them more functional for communal use. She also appealed to communities to safeguard primary healthcare centres (PHCs) against theft and vandalism, while encouraging the media to amplify public awareness through jingles, reports, and peer-to-peer outreach.

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Similarly, Dr. Olusoji Akinleye, another UNICEF Health Specialist from the Enugu Field Office, highlighted the availability of immunization vaccines and described immunization as one of humanity’s greatest achievements, having saved at least one million lives each year over the last five decades.

Dr. Akinleye noted that immunization continues to drastically reduce infant mortality and protect people of all ages from vaccine-preventable diseases. He cited the development of vaccines against malaria, HPV, cholera, dengue, meningitis, RSV, Ebola, and Mpox as examples of ongoing progress.

He therefore encouraged governments "to turn vaccines into vaccinations through strong immunization programmes at local and national levels to deliver on the promise of immunization for all."

However, he acknowledged challenges facing immunization, including "rising outbreaks, strained health systems exacerbated by weakened economies in developing countries, a declining number of health workers due to retirement, the Japa Syndrome, non-employment, and shrinking funding support."

Dr. Akinleye urged governments to increase budgetary allocations to the health sector, stressing that every child deserves protection from vaccine-preventable diseases, regardless of their location or circumstances.

Other speakers, including Dr. Eghe Abe, UNICEF Health Specialist, and Mrs. Susan Akila, UNICEF Communication Specialist, addressed the affordability of vaccines and the critical role of the media in quality reporting.

Dr. Abe emphasized that immunization vaccines are completely free, urging healthcare workers, especially at rural PHCs, not to create barriers for vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. He called for a collective push toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to make healthcare accessible to all.

Represented by UNICEF Communications Officer Dr. Ijeoma Onuoha, Mrs. Akila encouraged media practitioners to produce high-quality reports free of misinformation. She called for robust coverage of the 2025 World Immunization Week, highlighting achievements and call-to-action efforts, stressing that with concerted efforts from all stakeholders, "Immunization for all is humanly possible."