Childhood vaccination rates decline across EU since COVID-19

A study published in *The Lancet Regional Health—Europe* reports that childhood vaccination coverage has fallen in the majority of European Union (EU) member states in recent years, erasing a portion of the gains achieved since the 1980s. The analysis, which compiled data from national immunisation registries across the bloc, shows a downward trend for core vaccines such as diphtheria‑tetanus‑pertussis (DTP), measles‑mumps‑rubella (MMR) and polio, with average coverage rates dropping by several percentage points between 2015 and 2023.

The decline is most pronounced in countries that previously reported high uptake, including Germany, France and the Netherlands, where DTP coverage fell from roughly 96 % to 91 % and MMR from 94 % to 88 % over the same period. Researchers attribute the reversal to a combination of factors: disruptions to routine immunisation services during the COVID‑19 pandemic, rising vaccine hesitancy linked to misinformation, and fiscal or logistical constraints in health systems. The study also notes that socioeconomic disparities have widened, with lower‑income regions experiencing steeper drops in uptake.

Public‑health officials caution that the downward shift threatens herd immunity thresholds and could precipitate outbreaks of preventable diseases. The findings underscore the need for coordinated EU‑wide strategies to restore confidence in vaccines, strengthen service delivery, and monitor coverage more closely, aiming to reverse the trend before it translates into increased morbidity and mortality among children.