One in five children worldwide not immunized: WHO

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

An estimated 18.7 million children - nearly one in five children - worldwide have not benefitted from vaccination for preventable diseases, such as diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.

"Immunization averts 2 to 3 million deaths annually; however, an additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage improved," the WHO said in a statement before the World Immunization Week on 24-30 April.

According to the WHO, more than 60 percent of children who are not vaccinated live in 10 countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Uganda and South Africa.