UNICEF Australia urges continued focus on childhood vaccination as coverage declines

UNICEF Australia has warned against complacency following the release of new global childhood immunisation estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which show Australia’s vaccination coverage has declined for several key childhood vaccines.

While Australia continues to maintain high overall vaccination rates and remains one of the safest places in the world for children, the report highlights a downward trend in coverage that could increase the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

According to the data, first-dose coverage for the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP1) vaccine was 92% in 2025, compared with an average of 96% across many comparable high-income countries. Australia was also reported to have approximately 24,000 “zero-dose” children who had not received their first DTP vaccine, ranking sixth highest among 41 high-income countries.

The report also found that national measles vaccination coverage declined from 94% in 2019 to 91% in 2025, leaving an estimated 27,000 children unvaccinated against measles. UNICEF notes that at least 95% coverage is generally required to maintain community protection and help prevent outbreaks.

The findings come as Australia has recently experienced outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including its largest diphtheria outbreak in decades, while poliovirus has also been detected in wastewater in Perth. UNICEF says these events demonstrate that diseases once considered under control can re-emerge if vaccination coverage falls.

UNICEF Australia is encouraging families to keep children’s routine vaccinations up to date and emphasises that maintaining high immunisation coverage requires ongoing collaboration between families, healthcare providers and governments.

Vaccination remains one of the world’s most effective public health interventions, protecting people throughout life against more than 30 vaccine-preventable diseases and preventing millions of deaths globally each year.

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Read the full UNICEF Australia media release: “Australia’s vaccination success story at risk if families become complacent”: https://www.unicef.org.au/media-release/australia-s-vaccination-success-story-at-risk-if-families-become-complacent