In 2023, nearly 3 million additional children were left un- and under-vaccinated compared to pre-pandemic levels, revealing that global immunization has yet to recover. We know where these children are (mostly in fragile and conflict-affected countries), and which vaccines they missed (measles vaccines, among others)—important data points that will inform how and where to direct immunization services and investment in the future. 

What’s missing is an understanding of community preferences and perspectives on when, where, and how they receive immunizations and other primary health care services—information that is critical for designing health systems that meet the needs of everyone, even in the most under-reached communities. 

Yet the effective collection, analysis, and utilization of this data faces significant hurdles. African populations are severely under-represented in data sets used to inform data science models for health applications, and few countries systematically gather feedback from their own citizens. This results in a disconnect between community needs and health system services.