According to the United Nations Childrens Fund, or UNICEF, 12 million children in Eastern and Southern Africa lost out on regular immunizations, either totally or partially, between 2019 and 2021. According to UNICEFs "State of the Worlds Children 2023: For Every Child, Vaccination—Regional Brief: Eastern and Southern Africa" study, vaccination is "one of humanitys most remarkable success stories."

UNICEF data showed that an estimated 67 million children missed out on regular immunizations, either totally or partially, between 2019 and 2021. This number amounts to 12 million youngsters in Eastern and Southern Africa. The organization noted that it will take a concerted effort to ensure that these children catch up on their vaccinations as they reach the age when vaccines can be routinely administered.

UNICEF stated that vaccination has contributed to the eradication of smallpox, a disfiguring and frequently lethal disease that claimed an estimated 300 million lives in the twentieth century alone. It stated that the backsliding in immunization highlighted that the story of zero-dose and under-vaccinated children is overwhelmingly a story of inequities.

It was also noted that immunization is key to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to "ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages" and is also associated with 13 of the other SDGs. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1072633 )