About this Research Topic
According to WUENIC 2022 estimates, in 2021, 18 million children did not receive a single dose of vaccine. Of the 18 million zero-dose children, 5.2 million children reside in 11 countries with some of most fragile settings in the world. Zero-dose children account for half of all under-five deaths, and living in fragile settings exacerbates the risk of missing essential health care services. The deprivations faced by zero-dose children in fragile settings go beyond limited access to vaccines alone; they are also less likely to have access to essential services such as nutrition and education, falling through the cracks on multiple fronts. Zero-dose children in these settings face a unique set of challenges in accessing essential health care services. It is critical to study these barriers so that immunization programs can tailor optimal interventions to reach children who have been missed by the traditional strategies for routine immunization.
The goal of the Research Topic is to better identify and characterize zero dose children in fragile settings, and shine light on the unique barriers to immunization access these children face and potential solutions to overcome these barriers. It is not appropriate to club the challenges of zero-dose children in conflict settings with those in non-conflict regions since this population is reeling from the effects of both health systems inadequacy and security threats. Their unique challenges deserve a tailored inquiry into the type of interventions that will be best suited to reach them. A systematic inquiry approach along the five pillars of Gavi's IRMMA (Identify - Reach - Monitor - Measure - Advocate) framework can provide a comprehensive view on the status of, and opportunities for reaching and sustaining immunization services for these children.
Themes in this supplement will identify, estimate and characterize zero-dose children in fragile settings, and propose and evaluate promising interventions to reach this population. Examples of topics for this supplement include but are not restricted to mapping out the spread of zero dose children in fragile settings, identifying household determinants for this population, and characterizing the type and extent of various barriers to vaccine access. Topics will also bring out promising integrated approaches for improving vaccine access, monitoring tools and strategies for these interventions, and their impact evaluation. Papers may also discuss the different advocacy initiatives and their effects at the regional, national, and subnational levels for reaching zero dose children in fragile settings. This supplement welcomes a wide range of manuscripts including but not limited to original studies, reviews, summary and synthesis of conference proceedings, and policy analysis.
The goal of the Research Topic is to better identify and characterize zero dose children in fragile settings, and shine light on the unique barriers to immunization access these children face and potential solutions to overcome these barriers. It is not appropriate to club the challenges of zero-dose children in conflict settings with those in non-conflict regions since this population is reeling from the effects of both health systems inadequacy and security threats. Their unique challenges deserve a tailored inquiry into the type of interventions that will be best suited to reach them. A systematic inquiry approach along the five pillars of Gavi's IRMMA (Identify - Reach - Monitor - Measure - Advocate) framework can provide a comprehensive view on the status of, and opportunities for reaching and sustaining immunization services for these children.
Themes in this supplement will identify, estimate and characterize zero-dose children in fragile settings, and propose and evaluate promising interventions to reach this population. Examples of topics for this supplement include but are not restricted to mapping out the spread of zero dose children in fragile settings, identifying household determinants for this population, and characterizing the type and extent of various barriers to vaccine access. Topics will also bring out promising integrated approaches for improving vaccine access, monitoring tools and strategies for these interventions, and their impact evaluation. Papers may also discuss the different advocacy initiatives and their effects at the regional, national, and subnational levels for reaching zero dose children in fragile settings. This supplement welcomes a wide range of manuscripts including but not limited to original studies, reviews, summary and synthesis of conference proceedings, and policy analysis.
Keywords: Zero-dose, fragile settings, routine immunization, access, implementation science, barriers
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
