Sudan’s children face growing threat of deadly infectious diseases as vaccination rates halve

Mothers bring their children for vaccination against measles and rubella at a health centre in al-Jazira state last month. Photograph: Mohammed Abdulmajid/Unicef

Children in Sudan, caught up in what aid organisations have called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and threatened by rising levels of violence, are increasingly vulnerable to deadly infectious diseases as vaccinations in the country plummet.

In 2022, more than 90% of young children in Sudan received their routine vaccinations. But that figure has nearly halved to 48%, the lowest in the world, according to the World Health Organization.