African Vaccination Week 2026: WHO Says Vaccines Save 1.8 Million Lives Yearly In Africa
Behind every vaccine is a life protected, a family preserved, and a community kept productive.
As Africa marks African Vaccination Week 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says immunisation continues to be one of the continent’s strongest public health tools, preventing about 1.8 million deaths every year.
In a message to commemorate the week, the WHO Regional Director for Africa said this year’s theme, “For Every Generation, Vaccines Work,” highlights the importance of immunisation across every stage of life, from childhood to old age.
According to the WHO, since 2000, nearly 500 million African children have been protected through routine vaccination, while HPV vaccines are helping adolescent girls avoid cervical cancer and maternal vaccines are safeguarding both mothers and newborns.
The organisation also pointed to major milestones across the continent, including the introduction of malaria vaccines in 25 countries and the elimination of measles and rubella in Cabo Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles, the first countries in the WHO African Region to achieve the feat.
WHO noted that through the Big Catch-Up initiative, nearly 8.75 million children who had missed routine vaccines were reached, while vaccination efforts since 1988 have prevented paralysis in over 20 million people and averted an estimated 1.57 million deaths from polio.
Despite the gains, the agency raised concern that about 6.7 million children in Africa have not received a single routine vaccine, while another 9.5 million remain under-immunised, mostly in conflict-affected, poor or remote communities.
It warned that measles outbreaks, vaccine-derived poliovirus transmission and recent diphtheria cases show how quickly progress can be reversed if immunisation efforts weaken.
WHO urged African governments to increase domestic funding for immunisation, stressing that every dollar invested in childhood vaccination returns an estimated 44 dollars in economic benefits through reduced healthcare costs, stronger productivity and healthier societies.
The agency called on governments, partners and communities to strengthen collaboration so that vaccines reach every person, at every stage of life.
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