The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent call to strengthen immunisation programmes across the Western Pacific region, warning that a dangerous resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases is underway as millions of children continue to miss critical vaccine doses. The alert, issued on April 24, 2025, from the WHO Regional Office in Manila, Philippines, underscores a growing public health crisis threatening decades of hard-won progress.

Scale of the Crisis

In 2024 alone, nearly 2.1 million children in the Western Pacific missed at least one vaccine dose, exposing a vast and vulnerable population to diseases that are entirely preventable. The Western Pacific region is home to 2.2 billion people representing more than a quarter of the world's total population, making the stakes extraordinarily high.

Despite significant historical gains in vaccination coverage, inequitable access to immunisation services remains a persistent and deeply structural problem across multiple countries in the region. Remote communities, underserved populations, and fragile healthcare infrastructure continue to leave millions of children unprotected.

WHO Leadership Sounds the Alarm

Saia Ma'u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, issued a stark warning alongside a message of hope. He stated: Vaccines are a miracle of science and medicine, and they have protected generations of families and communities across our region. But we cannot take this protection for granted.

The statement reflects growing concern within global health circles that vaccine hesitancy, supply chain disruptions, and post-pandemic healthcare system fatigue are collectively eroding immunisation rates that took generations to build. This comes amid broader global trends showing measles outbreaks returning in regions previously declared elimination-ready.

Key Immunisation Goals for the Region

The WHO Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Immunisation (VDI) unit has outlined a comprehensive set of targets for the Western Pacific Region. These include sustaining polio-free status across all member states, eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus, eliminating measles and rubella, accelerating control of hepatitis B and Japanese encephalitis, and introducing new vaccines while meeting regional vaccination coverage targets.

These goals are aligned with the Regional Framework for Implementation of the Global Vaccine Action Plan, which provides the strategic backbone for member state cooperation and accountability.

Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers

The WHO warning is not merely statistical. It signals a systemic breakdown in healthcare delivery that disproportionately affects the poorest and most geographically isolated communities. When routine immunisation falters, the consequences cascade across hospital systems, family productivity, and national economies.

Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic severely disrupted routine immunisation services globally between 2020 and 2022, and the Western Pacific region is still recovering from those setbacks. According to WHO data, vaccine coverage for diseases like measles dropped sharply during the pandemic years, and rebuilding that coverage has proven slower than anticipated.

Critics argue that underfunding of primary healthcare infrastructure, particularly in Pacific Island nations and parts of Southeast Asia, remains the single biggest obstacle to closing the immunisation gap. The WHO renewed call must be matched with concrete funding commitments from both national governments and international donors.

What Happens Next

The WHO has called on member states to prioritise three immediate actions: strengthening routine immunisation systems, improving outreach to underserved populations, and ensuring reliable uninterrupted vaccine supply chains. These measures are seen as critical to reversing the current downward trend before it escalates into full-blown disease outbreaks.

With World Immunisation Week running April 24 to 30 providing a global platform for advocacy, health ministries across the Western Pacific are expected to announce country-specific action plans in the coming weeks. The international health community will be watching closely to see whether political commitments translate into measurable improvements in vaccination coverage by the end of 2025.