The World Health Organization and other partners on Monday launched the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), an ambitious new global strategy aimed at averting 50 million deaths through vaccinations.

IA2030 will focus on availing vaccinations throughout life from infancy through to adolescence and older age.

The WHO lamented the disruption of immunization programs in many parts of the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has forced some countries to lose focus from other preventable diseases, as resources and health systems were put into the fight against COVID-19.

However, according to the UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, the world had started being complacent in its mass vaccination programs even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.

"The pandemic has made a bad situation worse, causing millions more children to go unimmunized. Now that vaccines are at the forefront of everyone's minds, we must sustain this energy to help every child catch up on their measles, polio and other vaccines. We have no time to waste. Lost ground means lost lives," she said.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom, immunizations should not be stopped because that would open a door for other health crises.

"If we're to avoid multiple outbreaks of life-threatening diseases like measles, yellow fever and diphtheria, we must ensure routine vaccination services are protected in every country in the world," said the WHO chief.

According to the global health agency, 60 mass immunization campaigns are currently postponed in 50 countries, putting around 228 million people – mostly children – at risk for diseases such as measles, yellow fever and polio. Over half of the 50 affected countries are in Africa, highlighting protracted inequities in people's access to critical immunization services.

The launch of the IA2030 came as the world started observing the World Immunization Week, highlighting the urgent need for a renewed global commitment to improve vaccination access and uptake.

The plan hopes to achieve 90 percent coverage for essential vaccines given in childhood and adolescence; halve the number of children completely missing out on vaccines; complete 500 national or subnational introductions of new or under-utilized vaccines – such as those for COVID-19, rotavirus, or human papillomavirus (HPV).