According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Latin America has suffered one of the casualties in more serious vaccination rates in the last 10 years. This situation has left more than 67 million children without a complete vaccination scheme, and the most alarming thing is that 48 million of them have not received a single dose of essential vaccines. Today, Health systems are already beginning to observe the results of this setback.
“The different vaccination scenarios that are lived in the region are as diverse as their same cultures, however, we find very similar challenges with respect to the barriers that have taken us to the same result: boys and girls suffering the consequences of preventable diseases for vaccination,” explains Dr. Rodrigo Alberto Restrepo González, Executive Director of Medical Impact in Colombia.
According to UNICEF data, in 2021 the coverage of the first and third dose of the diphtheria vaccine, tetanus and whore in the Americas reached its lowest level in 20 years, with 87% and 81% respectively.
In this context, the 23rd week of vaccination in the Americas (SVA), which is commemorated from April 26 to May 3, acquires special relevance. The call of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is clear: stop the fall in vaccination rates and avoid the resurgence of preventable diseases.
Central America does not escape this reality. In Costa Rica as of December 12, 2024, 113 cases of coughing, rate of 2.1 / 100,000 HB had been confirmed by laboratory. In Honduras as of March 22, 2025, there were 13 cases of Railway cough in San Pedro Sula. While, in Guatemala in 2024, there were 65 suspicious and 9 positive cases, in 2025, 13 suspicious and 6 positive cases.
“When vaccination rates fall down, preventable diseases find space to reappear. We are seeing it with the peak cough, measles, polyomyelitis, yellow fever and other infections that we had managed to control in much of the region. The effects are already evident. In 2012, more than 72,000 cases of worldwide cough were reported worldwide, and since then a progressive decrease was recorded Minimum of 3,293 cases in 2022. However, in 2024 a rebound has been observed in several countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Peru and the United States, ”says Dr. María Luis Ávila, a pediatric infectologist, president of Slipe.
Dr. Ávila adds “From SLIP we recommend four fundamental actions to improve vaccination coverage: first, strengthen intersectoral communication between health authorities, scientific societies and communities; second, implement educational campaigns based on scientific evidence that combat misinformation; third, to facilitate access to vaccination through innovative strategies such as mobile units and extended schedules; Comprehensive ecosystem where each actor contributes from their place to communicate the benefits of immunization and improve coverage rates through coordinated efforts. ”
According to specialists, these outbreaks are not isolated. There are many examples throughout the region of the Americas that highlight the ravages of vaccination delay. In Mexico, the Secretary of Health issued an epidemiological notice in early March due to the increase in cases of the Raine Tos registered deaths. In Paraguay, the General Directorate of Health Surveillance, in February 2025, issued an epidemiological alert due to an increase in cases of the Raine cough with respect to the previous years, 7 cases in the epidemiological week 4 of 2025 (71% with incomplete schemes for age) compared to 6 cases of Raine cough throughout the year 2024.
In Argentina, as of April 7, 2025, in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, 24 cases of Raine cough were confirmed, compared to 0 cases in 2024.
“Raine cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection caused by the border bordetella pertussis, which is characterized by intense cough attacks that can put life at risk, especially in infants and children under 5 years. We must attend to this increase in cases and make a call to parents, mothers and caregivers so that the vaccination schemes of their children are updated. Otherwise, we will not manage to reverse the figures.
Recently, I participated in a global consensus on the use of acellular hexavalent vaccines, published in October 2024, where we highlight the importance of these vaccines to ensure that no child is unprotected against the people’s cough and polyomyelitis. This consensus emphasizes that hexavalent vaccines, which protect against six diseases in a single application, are fundamental to simplify vaccination schemes and improve coverage throughout the region, ”says Ávila.
Other diseases such as polyomyelitis have also been made present in recent years, after decades of control and elimination in the region. In 2022, the United States registered a case in the state of Nuevo York and Peru notified in March of the same year a confirmed case of polio. Both in not vaccinated patients.
The decrease in coverage not only represents a threat to the individual health of children, but compromises collective immunity. The challenge is to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Immunization Agenda and ensure that no child is left without their first dose and does not suffer the consequences of a preventable vaccination disease.
From April 26 to May 3, during the week of vaccination in the Americas, public and private institutions join the call to strengthen vaccination schemes in the region, seeking to eliminate access barriers and ensure that all children receive the vaccines they need. It is widely demonstrated that vaccines save lives, strengthen the immune system and are a key tool to prevent disease spread.
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