Governments facing tighter immunisation budgets must safeguard established programmes before adding new vaccines, WHO advisers warn, as fragile coverage and rising outbreaks threaten recent gains.
Countries facing tighter immunisation budgets should protect the vaccines they already deliver through national programmes, World Health Organization advisers have warned, as governments weigh whether to expand protection or preserve existing coverage. At an October 13 briefing, WHO officials said the greater risk is not only delay in introducing new vaccines, but also the erosion of established services that have helped keep preventable diseases in check.
Kate O’Brien, WHO’s immunisation director, said the growing number of vaccines available gives countries more choices, but not every product can be funded or rolled out at once, even with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. More than 30 diseases are now preventable through vaccination, and around 13 to 14 vaccines are recommended for every country, with others aimed at specific regions or population groups. In practice, that means governments must weigh disease burden, equity, community need and whether health systems can actually deliver each dose.
The warning comes as global immunisation coverage remains fragile. WHO and UNICEF said in July that 89% of infants worldwide received at least one dose of the DTP vaccine in 2024, yet more than 14 million infants remained unvaccinated, with conflict and humanitarian crises leaving some countries especially exposed. Separately, WHO, UNICEF and Gavi warned in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and meningitis were threatening years of progress, underscoring how quickly gains can unravel when programmes lose momentum.
The pressure is intensified by changing financing arrangements. WHO issued guidance in November 2025 on how countries can cope with abrupt cuts to external health funding, while Gavi has moved towards a country budget model for 2026 to 2030 that offers more predictability but also leaves governments to make harder trade-offs. Anthony Scott, who chairs SAGE, said national immunisation technical advisory groups are being asked to assess evidence and funding choices in an increasingly complex environment, and WHO said that preserving trust matters as much as preventing disease: families may lose confidence if programmes that were promised cannot reliably deliver.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
