A boy receives drops of polio vaccine by a home-visited nurse after the launching ceremony of the five-day polio vaccination campaign in high risk counties, targeting about two million children under five years old, in Kajiado, Kenya, on July 11, 2018. (Xinhua/ AFP PHOTO)
UNITED NATIONS, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Around 123 million children were immunized against life-threatening diseases and infections around the world in 2017, breaking historic record, according to UN figures released on Monday.
Some 90 percent of children received at least one dose of the combined diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in 2017, gaining lasting protection against these deadly diseases, UN news reported, citing data from the WHO and the UN children agency UNICEF.
An additional 4.6 million infants were vaccinated globally in 2017, compared to the number in 2010, due to the pace of global population growth, UN news said.
The UN data also show that 167 countries included a second dose of measles vaccine, as part of their routine vaccination schedule, and 162 countries now use rubella vaccines. As a result, global coverage against measles and rubella increased from 35 percent in 2010, to 52 percent.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced in 79 countries to help protect women against cervical cancer.
FILE PHOTO: A teenager receives a tetanus vaccination at the Remote Area Medical and Operation Lone Star joint health clinic at Palmview High School in Mission, Texas, U.S., August 5, 2014. (Xinhua/REUTERS)
Newly available inoculations are also being added as part of the overall package of life-saving vaccinations, such as those to protect against meningitis, malaria and even Ebola.
Despite these successes, almost 20 million children did not receive the benefits of full immunization in 2017. Of these, almost 8 million, or 40 percent, live in fragile or crisis-affected places, including countries affected by conflict.
In addition, a growing percentage of these children are from middle-income countries, where increasing inequality and marginalization, particularly among the urban poor, prevent many from getting immunized.
