More children were left out of critical vaccination drives for diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough last year as a rise in conflicts across the globe hindered the supply of life-saving shots mostly in strife-torn regions, the United Nations said on Monday.
About 14.5 million children failed to get vaccinated in 2023, compared with 13.9 million a year earlier, according to U.N. estimates. The number, however, was lower than during the COVID-19 pandemic, when about 18 million children missed out on vaccination.
The U.N. also said that an additional 6.5 million children failed to receive more than a single dose, meaning they were not fully protected.