The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urged countries to intensify efforts to ensure that every child in the Southeast Asia Region receives essential vaccines, despite the region recording strong routine immunisation coverage in 2025, according to an official statement.

The latest WHO and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) 2025 revealed that nearly 1.2 million children across the region did not receive their first routine vaccine dose in 2025. Additionally, about 600,000 children were only partially vaccinated, leaving them at greater risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases.

The WHO South-East Asia Region continued to lead all six WHO regions in routine childhood immunisation. Coverage for the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine reached 94 percent in 2025, significantly higher than the global average of 85 percent.

“As we build on the high immunisation coverage, we must focus on the children who are still being missed. Every zero-dose and partially vaccinated child represents inequity in access to essential health services and a missed opportunity to protect life. By focusing our efforts on underserved and hard-to-reach communities, we can close the remaining equity gaps and ensure that every child benefits from the life-saving protection that vaccines provide,” said Dr. Catharina Boehme, officer-in-charge of the WHO South-East Asia Region.