Africa: Children in Conflict Zones and Remote Areas Bear the Brunt of Global

What the report says

AllAfrica carried an Inter Press Service report from the United Nations on 22 July 2026 examining why millions of children remain outside routine immunization systems, especially in conflict-affected countries and remote communities. The story centers on Sagal, a 23-year-old junior doctor working in maternal and child health in Mogadishu, Somalia, and Johao, a 14-year-old youth health advocate from Ecuador’s Amazon region. Both are members of UNICEF’s Global Youth Health Advisory Group, which links young people’s community-level experiences to UNICEF health policy and campaigns.

The report says Somalia’s years of conflict and insecurity have contributed to very low vaccination coverage, with children in unsafe or hard-to-reach areas most likely to miss vaccines. In Ecuador’s Amazon communities, Johao described barriers including long distances, weak infrastructure, transport difficulties and the challenge of getting accurate information to families before rumors spread. The article also notes that remote rural and Indigenous communities can face limited access to health services.

Citing WHO-UNICEF immunization estimates, IPS reported that 90% of infants globally received at least one dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine in 2025, while 85% completed the three-dose series. Still, an estimated 13.5 million “zero-dose” children received no vaccine in their first year, and more than half of them live in fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable countries. Another 7.3 million infants began DTP vaccination but dropped out before a first measles dose.

The report highlights trust as well as access: misinformation, fear of side effects and broader mistrust can discourage vaccination. WHO and UNICEF are urging stronger immunization systems in fragile settings, action against misleading health claims, sustained funding, and better data and disease surveillance to reach children who remain unprotected.