Three years into a devastating conflict, there is a rare piece of good news for children in Sudan. 

The country’s childhood immunization programme is recovering. 

New data shows that coverage of the DTP3 vaccine, a key marker of immunization coverage, increased from 39 per cent in 2024 to 71 per cent in 2025. Coverage of the first dose of the measles vaccine also rose from 46 per cent to 68 per cent. 

Behind these numbers are millions of children with a better chance of being protected from life-threatening diseases. 

This progress is particularly meaningful because it comes at a time when so many children and families in Sudan continue to face unimaginable challenges. Conflict has displaced families, damaged health facilities and disrupted the services that communities rely on. For many parents, something as simple as taking a child for a routine vaccination became increasingly difficult.

When the conflict erupted in April 2023, Sudan's immunization system was deeply affected. Health workers were displaced, facilities closed or became inaccessible, and the routes used to transport vaccines across the country were disrupted.

By 2024, immunization coverage had fallen to some of its lowest levels. Behind every child who missed a vaccine was a family facing another layer of uncertainty and a child left vulnerable to diseases that we know how to prevent.